Captor Of My Heart
by Lotus Sword
Summary: Sorano Aoi's life turns completely upside down when her family dies and she is kidnapped. Even though she is determined to see her captors as 'evil', she can't help herself but develop different feelings for them as well. SaryuuxAoi / [Requested by Shiranai Atsune]
1. Chapter 1

**So, yeah... This is a SaryuuxAoi story that was requested by Shiranai Atsune. Hope you enjoy it! ^^**

**I don't own Inazuma Eleven (Go Chrono Stone) and I probably never will, so let's just move on with the story. :P**

* * *

><p>"I'll be going now!" Sorano Aoi yelled as she walked towards the front door.<p>

"Wait a minute, honey." She turned around to see her mother standing behind her. The woman was paler than usual and she had dark circles underneath her eyes due to the lack of sleep. Aoi didn't sleep all that much either because her brother had kept her awake last night. The thing is, he was sick. Nothing major, just a flu or something, but he had been coughing the entire night and since she was a light sleeper… Well, let's just say that it was hard to keep her eyes open at school today.

Aoi had been home for an hour or so and now she was about to leave to attend her tennis practice. Yukou, her six-year-old brother, had skipped school today and her mother stayed home from work so she could look after him. It was a tough choice to make, since Aoi's dad died a few years ago and Aoi wasn't allowed to work yet since she was only thirteen. That meant that her mother was the only one who had an income. And even if Aoi was allowed to work, her mother wouldn't let her. She was the kind of woman that always puts her children before herself and she said more than once that Aoi should finish her school so that she could make more of my life than her mother had done.

Aoi could hear Yukou cough in his room, though the sound was muffled. "What is it?" she asked her mother with a smile. Her mother smiled tiredly back at her.

"This may be a big favour, but could you run some errands for me when you're done with practice? I could do them myself, but I want to watch Yukou..."

"Sure, no problem. What do you want me to get?"

"You're such a sweetheart. If you wait a minute, then I'll make a list."

She handed Aoi a piece of paper and some money, which Aoi put in her bag. "Be careful, dear," her mother said as Aoi walked to the door once again. "I've heard terrible news about these gangs of children that destroy parts of the town. It was all over the news today. So please watch out, okay?"

"Don't worry, mom, I'll do. Bye!" the girl said reassuringly before she closed the front door behind her. She headed to the tennis court without thinking about it. Instead she thought about what her mom just said. She didn't pay much attention to the news lately, but she did recall something about major destructions in several parts of town. A group of people – kids actually, all about Aoi's age – suddenly attacked important buildings in town. So far, it were only offices and a minor base of El Dorado, but she was still worried. If those criminals were crazy enough to attack El Dorado, then they must be serious. And if El Dorado doesn't agree with their demands – whatever those may be – maybe they'll attack the residential areas as well… Aoi shuddered at the thought.

Her heart lightened a bit as she saw the tennis court appear. There were already some people playing, but she couldn't see who they were. She smiled without noticing. Now she just wanted to let go of all those creepy thoughts, smash some balls and then play a bit with the others.

But then she realized that she didn't feel the usual weight on her shoulder. Aoi slowly brought up her hand to feel at her back, hoping that she was mistaken. Her fingers only touched the air and her heart sunk. "Baka, baka, baka, baka." She kept on repeating that sentence to herself as she turned around and made her way home again. Yup, she had forgotten her tennis racket… Again. Good thing she noticed before she arrived, or she would be the laughing stock again. She knew of course that they didn't mean it, but still... Aoi recalled that she hung it at the back of a kitchen chair while her mother was writing her list. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Aoi was almost at home when she saw them. A group of teenagers, about her age, standing _right in front of her house_. She slowed down a bit and watched them. She had never seen them before, so what were they doing here? Her mother's warning echoed through her mind.

Suddenly, one of the boys – spiky white hair, bright orange shirt and goggles – pulled out something that looked like a gun. He aimed at Aoi's house, pulled the trigger and… A bright white laser came out of the gun and hit her house, causing it to explode. She stared with widened eyes and open mouth to what happened. There was a great hole in the front of the house, the windows were shattered and the front door was gone. She saw something bright orange flicker behind a broken window and seconds after that, thick black smoke drifted out of the house.

Aoi just stood there, unable to move or even breath. This had to be a dream right? Just a really, really, really bad dream? _Yukou. Mom._ Those thoughts unfroze her. Were they still in there? Of course, mom wouldn't leave Yukou behind in this state… Oh god, she had to find them. "Yukou! Mom!" Aoi shouted as her legs moved by themselves. From the corner of her eyes she saw that the group of teenagers looked at her, but she didn't care.

She ran up to the house, but just as she was about to enter through the giant hole, a part of the ceiling came down. She stumbled back from the falling gravel, lost her balance and fell in the shattered glass. Aoi tried to ignore the pain as she jumped up again, desperately trying to find another way in. She had to find them, she had to get them out of there. She tried climbing through the broken window, which led to even more bleeding cuts in her arms and hands, but she didn't care. The smoke made her eyes water and she coughed like mad to get the poisonous damps out of her body. She was on the windowsill and when she looked around, she saw that the entire living room was on fire. There was no way she could get through that. "Mom! Mom!" she screamed from the top of her lungs, but the raging fire swallowed the every sound she made.

The burning danger came closer and closer, but Aoi was hesitant to leave. She just couldn't believe this was actually happening. Another part of the ceiling collapsed, but she still didn't move. Only the stinging pain she felt when the right side of her trouser caught fire and her leg got burned, unfroze her. She jumped out of the window again, tears streaming down her face.

She lost her balance and rolled over a couple of times, before she came to a halt. She was still coughing and she felt really dizzy because of the poisonous smoke. The pain in her arms penetrated her and Aoi looked down, only to see several deep bleeding cuts, some even with pieces of glass in them.

When she turned around, she saw the group of teenagers looking at her. Suddenly, Aoi grew really angry. They had caused all this. They had taken her family away from her. They had taken her home away from her. Within a few mere seconds, they had destroyed her entire life!

Her anger gave her strength and she stood up again and rushed to them. She recognized the boy in the middle as the shooter, so she walked up to him and slapped him in the face. Hard. This asshole had taken everything away from her and he even had the nerve to stay and watch. Aoi's hand left a red mark on his cheek, though that wasn't visible because of all the soot and blood it left on there as well. Her hands weren't the cleanest anymore after she cut herself several times and she stood in that poisonous smoke for so long.

Suddenly, her head exploded. Aoi stumbled back from them, hoping that it would stop but it didn't. It felt like her brain was split in two or like it was attacked by killer bees or something. She couldn't help herself but scream when yet another painful wave came over her. She fell to he knees while her hands were pressed against her temples. She tried to look up to them – one eye closed because of the pain – and saw how the boy she slapped placed a hand on the shoulder of another boy. That other boy had green hair and his eyes were glowing. Then they stopped glowing and she sighed in relieve when the pain in her head faded away as well.

Aoi tried to get up, but she felt so terribly dizzy that this was too hard for her. Her arms trembled before she fell to the ground again. Then, everything went black.

* * *

><p>Aoi woke up on a bed in a small room that she had never seen before. The only furniture were the bed she was lying on, a small cupboard, an empty table and one simple chair. Warm, yellow sunlight came through the thin curtains and a van was slowly spinning at the ceiling. She slowly got up, ignoring the pounding in her head. She saw that her arms were bandaged and her right ankle as well. Her throat was soar, and she took a sip of the glass of water that stood on the cupboard. She heard ice cubes tingling against the glass and she kept the cool liquid in her mouth before she slowly swallowed it. When all the water was gone, she took the ice cube in her mouth and chewed on it, enjoying the refreshing effect it had on her.<p>

She stood up, ignoring the pain in her burned ankle, and slowly got to the window. When she opened the curtains, a big shock awaited her.

Bars.

Thick, heavy, unbreakable steel bars.

Aoi grabbed them and pulled, not believing that she was actually _locked up_ in here. She turned around to see two doors. The first one was locked, the second one led to a small bathroom. Great, no way out.

She sighed as she sat down on the bed again. She crept backwards until she was with her back against the two walls. She pulled her legs up and hid her face behind them. The painful memories played in her mind like a film. The teenagers, the boy who shot her house and killed the only family she had left, the fire, the panic… And later, when she slapped him, the attack on her brain, the glowing eyes of the green haired boy. What was with that? Normal eyes don't glow, nor do they cause your brain to explode. What is more, why was she saved? They could've just left her there, but instead they took her with them… At least, that's what she thought. She has been in the hospital before and they don't lock you in your rooms there.

She shook her head, angry that she had so many questions and no answers. She didn't like that, not at all. Aoi remembered how her mother always laughed at her when Aoi was frustrated that her books contradicted each other or how Aoi asked _everything_ in school, even if it had very little to do with the said subject.

_Mom._ That one thought ripped her heart and before she knew it, she started crying. Her lips trembled and tears streamed down her face. Suddenly, Aoi saw who she was now. Just an injured and scared girl, with no place to live and no family. She kept on sobbing while she remembered everything about her mother, her father and Yukou. The vacation on the beach, the times Aoi was sick and mom or dad stayed at home to take care of her, how proud they were when she came home with a bronze medal from a local tennis competition. But also the arguments they had and how much they had cried when dad passed away…

Everything, she remembered every single moment with them.

At some point, Aoi's eyes just stopped producing tears and she stared blankly at the wall opposing her. As always when she finished crying, her eyes felt really tired, but she didn't lay down. She didn't move at all, not even when the door that had been locked before, suddenly opened, revealing a boy from around her age. Aoi's eyes shot towards him and when she recognized him, she frowned and glared at the wall again. Neither of them moved, nor did they break the silence.

Suddenly, he walked into the room, placing a plate with some food and a fresh glass of water on the cupboard. Then he stood still, Aoi could feel him looking at her.

"How are you feeling?" The first thing she heard him say. He spoke with the voice of a leader, with the voice of someone who is used to being obeyd. Aoi refused to look at him.

"Why would you care?" She heard him move and realized that the grabbed the chair to sit next to her. She shoved a bit, trying to become one with the wall. Now she regretted her choice of sitting in a corner.

"You were severely injured, you shouldn't go jumping around in collapsing houses like that, you know," he stated as he casually sat down on the chair.

Aoi glared at him. "Well, excuse me, but if some criminal like you runs around town like that, destroying my house and murdering my family, I tend to get a little reckless."

His face grew dark. "I'm sorry about that."

"Yeah, right."

"I'm serious. There were no people meant to get hurt. We pick our targets really carefully and no one was supposed to be there that afternoon. We even checked your mother's working schedule and it clearly said that she would be working all day."

Aoi turned to her knees again. He sounded very defensive, yet his words sent shivers down her spine. "Yukou was ill, mom stayed at home to look after him," she whispered so softly that she could barely hear herself.

It remained quiet for a couple of minutes. "Where am I? And why did you bring me here?" She tried to speak clearly, though her voice shook a little.

"You're at Feida headquarters," he answered. That didn't mean anything to Aoi, but she remained silent. "And as for the reason why you're here, you saw us. We can't have you going to El Dorado, telling them what we look like. It's still too early for that."

"Wh-what are you gonna do with me?" She hated herself for her trembling voice, but she couldn't help it. That murdering bastard and his cold words just sent shivers down her spine.

He looked at her, a small smile on his lips. Then he stood up. Aoi's eyes followed him as he towered over her and looked down on her. He grabbed her shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly, although she flinched under his touch. She slapped his hand, looking up at him with terrified eyes. "Don't touch me!" she yelled. Aoi didn't know what to expect from him, what he would do… This boy, this criminal, had killed two innocent people and seemed practically unaffected by it.

He looked at her for another second, then he turned around and headed to the door. "Don't worry," he said. "I'm Saryuu Evan, by the way."

"I didn't ask for your name."

"I know, Sorano Aoi."

Then the door closed and Aoi was alone again. She exhaled, not realizing that she had held her breath. She stretched her legs and noticed that she was trembling. Not only from the pain of the loss of her family, but also… That Saryuu guy really creeped her out. How did he know her name? He said that he chose his targets really carefully and knew when they would be out... Did that mean he spied on her as well?

She closed her eyes and focussed on her breathing to calm herself down. Then she looked at the plate next to her. Sighing, she obliged to her rumbling stomach and started to eat.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, that was... something... <strong>

**Haha, I'm sorry for possible 'I's', 'me's', 'my's' and 'mine's' that are still left in the story... I never pictured this pairing so I started this as a characterxreader fic, but after Shiranai Atsune requested a SaryuuxAoi fic, I rewrote it.. Please review and I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Me: You know what? I've taken a liking to this pairing :) It's actually very cute. Yosh, second chapter. Hope you enjoy (although not really much happens here). Disclaimer from the previous chapter applies here as well!**

* * *

><p>Saryuu came to visit her every day, but Aoi refused to talk to him. Still, she wondered why he made the effort to visit her so often. Was there something he wanted? She shuddered at the thought.<p>

Saryuu didn't say much during the first days either, but one day he came in, sat down and just started to talk. He talked about how his day was, what he had done... Just like they were friends instead of captor and prisoner. Aoi didn't respond to anything he said, stubbornly ignoring his presence. If he asked her a question, she answered it as short as possible - if she even bothered to answer at all - not looking in his direction. This was her way to fight against him, her way to show him that she didn't give up. Though her efforts led to small results and she knew that those results didn't really bother the other boy like she had intended. She realized after a few days that her 'fight' was merely a game to him: he tried every day to make her talk and acknowledge his presence. She could hear it in his voice, which had a slightly amused tone after she answered one of his questions.

But although she 'fought' him, she was still quite scared of him. Every time the door opened, she tensed up at the sight of the white haired boy. She didn't look at him and focussed on her breathing. She tried everything she could to stop her arms from trembling when he sat down next to her bed. Although she seemed to ignore him, she saw every move he made. She was afraid of what he would do to her when she relaxed and didn't pay attention to him anymore.

After ten days - if she was correct: she had lost every track of time since she was in her cell - Saryuu came again. He greeted her, grabbed the chair, placed it next to her and sat down. But instead of talking, like he would usually do, he grabbed her left wrist. Aoi flinched at the touch and tried to pull her arm out of his grasp, but he was too strong for her. She realized that, despite her efforts to keep an eye on him, she had let her guard down.

"It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you," Saryuu said in a calming tone. He softly pulled her closer to him and Aoi let him, although she followed his every move with widened eyes. He reached behind his back with his free hand and a second later, he held a sharp knife. Aoi gasped and desperately tried to pull her hand out of the boy's grasp again, but he was still far too strong. "Shh, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you, okay?" Saryuu tried to calm her down. _"Liar!"_ Aoi wanted to yel, but the words got stuck in her throat.

Saryuu brought the knife closer to her arm and carefully began to cut the bandages away. The knife was so sharp that the bandages didn't have a chance and Aoi silently gulped when she realized how close this weapon was to her skin. When he was finished, he did the same to the bandages on her right arm.

When all the bandages were in the trash bin and the knife was put away, Aoi allowed herself to breath again. The cuts on her arms were still red and painful, but they had healed well so far. She absentmindedly brushed with her fingers over them while trying not to scratch. Her skin was really itchy right now.

"Thank you for trusting me," Saryuu said with a small smile on his lips.

"I didn't trust you," Aoi said and she gave him an angry look. Saryuu didn't say anything, but his smile grew wider. Aoi looked away. They sat there in silence until a grumbling sound broke it. Aoi's face reddened and she covered her belly with her arms. She hadn't eaten yet today. God, this was embarrasing!

Saryuu chuckled a bit before he laughed wholeheartedly. He stood up, dusting off his trousers even though they weren't dirty at all. "I'll get you something to eat," he smiled. He walked out of the door - unfortunately he locked it - and Aoi was alone once again. Saryuu returned about ten minutes later, carrying a plate with two sandwiches and a cup of tea. He put the cup of tea on the cupboard and handed her the plate, which she took reluctantly. She placed it on her lap and stared at it, not sure what to do since Saryuu was still there. It seemed like the boy didn't plan on leaving.

"Go on, eat up," he encouraged her. She hesitated for a few more seconds, but then she took a small bite of a sandwich. When she was convinced he had put nothing weird in it - you never knew, right? - she enjoyed her little meal. When she had finished her sandwiches, the tea had cooled down enough to drink it without burning her mouth. She placed the plate down, took the cup and took small sips of the warm liquid. Saryuu watched her the entire time.

Aoi had expected him to leave as soon as she had finished her meal, but the boy didn't move. Instead, he looked into her eyes. She stared back into his. His orbs were dark purple and seemed to hold uncountable mysteries. Then he closed his eyes for a few seconds and the enchanted moment was over. She lent back against the wall and stared towards the van. How long will she have to stay here? The days passed by in a blur, just one boring day after another. She sighed a bit, forgetting about the boy next to her.

He chuckled. "Am I that boring?" She faced him and wanted to say he wasn't, but she bit her tongue just in time. She didn't like him, remember? He had ruined her life, he had killed her family... She couldn't trust him, not even when he was acting this kind. _But he did apologize_, a small voice said. She tried to ignore it. That didn't matter.

Noticing that Saryuu was following her inner conflict with rather amused eyes, she turned to him and sighed again. "No, you're not. This room is."

Saryuu blinked in surprise, since this was the first time Aoi said more than one sentence. "It doesn't have to be," he said. "I can get you something to keep yourself busy if you want? Just ask."

Aoi bit her bottom lip. She admitted that it was very boring in this room - god, she would kill for a book or two to read - but asking for stuff from him seemed like... giving up on her fight. She had to choose between her pride and the boringness of her cell... She sighed and looked him in the eye once more.

"You can always let me go," she proposed although she knew he would reject it. He laughed teasingly at her and shook his head a bit.

"Come come, Aoi, it's not that bad, is it?"

"How about we switch? You get to stay in this 'lovely' cell and I get to go home. How about that?"

"Hmm, an appealing offer. But I'm afraid that I must pass."

She sighed. She knew it wouldn't work, but it wouldn't hurt to try either, would it?

"Try something else," he said after a while. "What do you like to do in your spare time?"

"As if you don't already know. I know you've been spying on me and mom and Yukou for who knows how long."

"I'd like to hear it firsthand," he stated casually, neither denying nor confirming her accusations. She didn't answer. After fifteen more minutes of silence, Saryuu stood up and left the room. Aoi was alone with her thoughts.

* * *

><p>"Here."<p>

Aoi looked to her cupboard, where Saryuu had placed three books. "What's that?"

"What does it look like?"

"Why?"

"Because you seem bored, and I know how you like reading."

"So you _have _been spying on me."

"I never said I didn't."

Aoi kept silent. She looked at the titles and her eyes widened as she saw a copy from her favourite author. She suppressed the urge to reach her hand out and grab the book. Instead she looked at Saryuu. "Why do you bother to bring those to me?"

He shrugged. "As I said, I know you like reading and you seem bored. Those books are from another girl here at Feida, and I figured you might like them. She can't read all of them at once after all. But if you don't want them..." He moved to pick up the books again.

"No." Before Aoi could stop herself, she had reached out her hand to stop Saryuu. He looked at her and snickered. She blushed.

"So, you _do_ want them," he said teasingly. Aoi bit her bottom lip.

"Will that other girl not mind it if I borrow them?" she asked carefully. Saryuu looked at her with a surprised look, but that disappeared soon enough.

"Don't worry about it."

* * *

><p>Aoi looked at the notebook in front of her. She bit on the end of her pen as she tried to think of new aspects. The paper in front of her was one big mess. It was covered with words, lines, circles and small drawings. Aoi was trying to sort out all the information she had, but it didn't make a headway.<p>

She turned the page and stared at the white paper for a few minutes. Then, in the middle of the page, she wrote three letters.

SSC.

She underlined them and drew a circle around them.

While tapping her lips and chin with the pen, Aoi thought about the Second Stage Children. Saryuu had told her about them a few days ago, one or two days after he got her the notebook and the pen. _"In case you get bored with those books,"_ he had winked at her, causing her cheeks to heat up. He probably meant for her to write a journal or diary or such. But she didn't.

No, Aoi was doing research. With her limited - very, very limited - freedom of movement, she was doing her best to understand. That is what she always wanted: to understand what was going on, with herself or with the world around her. She wanted answers.

At first, she didn't believe Saryuu when he started talking about the Second Stage Children. He said that they were children with supernatural powers, often abandoned by their families because their families became scared of them. Saryuu told her how he and others had been hunted down by people from El Dorado, how they were left with no choice but to run away and live their life in exile.

She had made very clear to him what she thought about his story. The people of El Dorado were peace keepers, they wouldn't harm innocent people, they would help them! And come on, children with superpowers? Really? To her, it just sounded like some bad TV-show for little kids. She looked away from him.

_"I'll prove it to you,"_ Saryuu replied. His voice echoed a bit, which she found strange, but she didn't question it further. She looked at him again, only to find him looking at her with purple glowing eyes. Aoi gulped, since he looked rather scary like this.

"How?"

He smiled. _"I'm already doing it."_ Aoi's eyes widened when she saw he didn't move his lips, which meant that she was hearing his voice _in her head!_

"You… I… How?" was all she could bring out back then.

"I don't know exactly," he said while his eyes stopped glowing. "It is in our DNA, and it makes us special. We are better than normal humans. They have no right to treat us like dirt, it should be the other way around." He had left short after that, leaving the blue haired girl with many questions.

So after a while she decided to write down what she knew. She brainstormed, came up with theories and rejected them again eventually. She had tried to get more information from Saryuu, but she had to be careful. She was sure that the spiky haired boy wouldn't be happy when he figured out what she was doing. So she only asked one or two questions per visit, hidden between many other questions about insignificant topics.

She wrote down Saryuu's name and connected it to the center with a line. She wrote down words that described the boy, as well as things about his powers. 'Mind reading', 'projecting', 'glowing eyes' and 'leader' were some of those words, and every one of them got connected to his name.

On the other side of the paper, she wrote 'powers'. She learned from Saryuu that the powers of every Second Stage Child were different and unique. Everyone believed that they had the so-called SSC-gene in their DNA, which allowed them to possess such great powers. Apart from those powers, that could vary from reading minds to telekinesis, Second Stage Children had great physical abilities too.

The more Aoi thought about it, the fuller the paper became and the more complicated her word web got. Eventually, she turned the page again and started to write down her theories. Since she hadn't anything else to do, she even thought of ways to test these theories. The longer she wrote, the emptier and more organized her mind became.

She kept on thinking about it, coming up with new theories as she did. Her books were forgotten. Not that that mattered, because she had already read all of them.

"Well, well, aren't you a diligent writer," a voice suddenly said.

Aoi's head shot up and she saw Saryuu, leaning casually in the door frame. "How... How long have you been there?" she stuttered. He smiled at her and entered the room, taking his usual seat next to the bed she was sitting on.

"A few minutes," he smiled. "You were so preoccupied in your writing that you didn't even notice me when I opened the door. What are you writing exactly?" He tried to peek at the notebook, but Aoi quickly closed it and placed it between her and the wall, out of Saryuu's reach.

"N-nothing," she said, silently scolding herself for stuttering. She had opened up a lot more towards Saryuu the past few days, but she was still a bit scared of him. She expected him to be angry with her if he found out about her theories and stuff.

Maybe he wouldn't visit her anymore?

That thought hurt her, even though she still tried to see him as her enemy. _Sure, he may be my enemy,_ she thought, _but he's the only one who visits... If it wasn't for him, I would have died of dullness a long time ago._

In the meantime, Saryuu pouted at her. "Come on," he laughed, "I'm curious." He reached out his hand, signalling for her to give him the notebook. Aoi hoped that if she didn't hand it over, he might lose his interest and talk about something else. On the contrary, her reluctance of handing him the notebook seemed to increase his inquisitiveness. After a few minutes, Aoi sighed before handing him the notebook.

He flipped through it and his smile slowly disappeared when he started reading. When he was done, he looked up to her with a shocked expression. Aoi gulped, she didn't dare to look away.

Saryuu stood up and quickly walked out of the room. Aoi could here him mutter "Excuse me a second," before he was gone and the door was locked again. She sighed again as she pulled her legs up and hugged them. _What now?_

* * *

><p><strong>Aww, poor Aoi. Oh well... :3<strong>

**If you have time (and feel like it of course), leave a review for this story. Thanks! ^^**


	3. Chapter 3

**Me: Soow... Last chapter, Saryuu suddenly left Aoi when he read about her theories... Let's continue!**

**Disclaimer: Err, I work in a supermarket... I think it's quite obvious that I'm not rich enough to own anything like Inazuma Eleven (GO Chrono Stone).**

* * *

><p>Aoi sat in the same position for over half an hour. It would've been longer if the door hadn't opened to reveal Saryuu. He casually leaned in the door frame, his arms crossed and a smile on his lips. He held the notebook in one hand.<p>

"Do you mind if I come in?" Aoi blinked in surprise. This was the first time he asked her that ever since she has been his captive. She shook her head and Saryuu came closer, sitting down on the same chair as before. He placed the notebook on the cupboard and looked in her eyes. Aoi reluctantly looked back, scared that he might suddenly become angry.

"I'm sorry, but you shocked me quite a bit back there," Saryuu smiled at her. "How long have you been working on those theories?"

"Uhm, a few days... Ever since you started talking about Second Stage Children, I became curious and sorted out my thoughts. Biology is my favourite subject and we were talking about hormones and stuff a few weeks ago," Aoi admitted, a bit more relaxed since Saryuu didn't seem angry with her. A little voice in the back of her head wondered why she would care about that, but she ignored it. She could think about that later. This moment, Saryuu was her only connection to the world outside her cell. If that got cut, she would most certainly lose it.

"I see," Saryuu said. Since Aoi was still looking in his eyes, she saw a slight hint of doubt pass through them.

She made a desicion and took the notebook from the cupboard. She opened it and started to explain it to Saryuu, sometimes drawing little things to make it easier to understand.

"That is why my main theory is this: I think that the SSC-gene in your DNA reformed your limbic system. The limbic system is a part of the brain that supports various functions, like emotions and behaviour. A part of the limbic system is the hypothalamus, which is the main endocrine gland of the body. An endocrine gland produces hormones, and I think that this part is altered by the SSC-gene. I think the SSC-gene orders your bodies to produce different hormones than other humans, and that these hormones cause you to develop certain powers. That would also explain why all your powers are unique: after all, everyone's DNA is unique as well. Well, except for twins, but lets forget about that for a while. Anyways, you told me about when your powers awoken, remember that? You said that around the age of eleven, twelve, you suddenly heard random thoughts of your classmates, right? Well, I think that that was because you entered puberty. As everyone keeps saying, that is when our hormone production peaks, so it would be obvious that in your case, your powers are triggered. You also said that when your powers were slumbering, you could already 'predict' what people were thinking. I believe that this was because your hormone concentration was too low to really activate your powers, but that it was enough to trigger them a little bit."

Saryuu glanced up from the notebook and looked at Aoi's face. She felt a bit uncomfortable and was about to advert her eyes, but then he said something. "You really like Biology, don't you?"

Despite the whole captive-situation she was in and the tension in the air, Aoi started to laugh. This was not the kind of question she was expecting. "Yes," she giggled. "But do you understand what I mean now?"

Saryuu nodded. "Yes, I think I do." After a few minutes of silence, he stood up and walked towards the door. There, he turned around and looked expectingly at her.

"What?" Aoi asked.

"Are you coming or what?"

"Coming? You mean, out of here?"

When the boy nodded, she quickly jumped off the bed and followed him.

* * *

><p>Feida was definately different from what Aoi had expected. When she heard the name, she had imagined a prison-like building. Concrete walls and floors, steel bars at every window, locks on every door... But she was wrong. Instead of threatening and cold, the building seemed warm and cosy. The walls were painted in different shades of yellow and Aoi saw bar-free windows when she peeked behind a curtain. It somehow reminded her of her grandma's house, but Feida was definately bigger.<p>

"So, here we are," Saryuu said and he pushed against a large door. It swung open and revealed some sort of cafeteria. There were four long tables and one smaller one, all crowded with children from her age. The whole room went quiet and stared at the duo. Aoi felt her cheeks heat up and she wished that she could hide from the stares. But there was no time for that, as Saryuu made his way through the cafeteria. Clueless of what to do, Aoi decided to follow him. She tried - in vain - to hide her head between her shoulders as she made her way through the crowd. Saryuu halted at the smaller table and greeted the boy and the girl that were sitting at it.

After a small talk, he grabbed Aoi's wrist, pulled her forward and introduced her to the two people at the table. Neither of them replied, they both looked suspiciously at her. Aoi felt their piercing gazes scanning her body and her face. When the silence went on for a few more seconds, Saryuu cleared his throat in a stern manner. The boy and girl both flinched and quickly muttered their names. Meia and Giris.

"Good," Saryuu said in a satisfied tone and then he pushed Aoi gently in one of the empty chairs. Then he turned around to the other children in the room, that were all staring at the smaller table and, more specificly, at Aoi. "Is there a problem?" he asked in the same strict tone as before. The others turned back to their food as quick as possible.

Saryuu nodded in satisfaction and then turned back to Aoi, who was nervously fidgeting with her fingers. "I'll get you something to eat," he said before walking away. She gulped silently: she was alone with the duo. Both Meia and Giris were keeping an eye on her, noticing every move she made. Aoi was well aware of the growing tension in the atmosphere and sighed in relief when Saryuu finally returned with two plates. He placed one in front of her and seated himself next to her.

"And, are you guys friends already or what?" he asked Aoi jokingly. The girl nodded, but the movement was so small that she doubted if he had seen it. Therefore, she added in a soft tone: "Yeah, they are very nice."

So far, they hadn't said a single word to her, apart from their names, but Aoi thought it would be better not to make them angry. Meia and Giris, who had tensed up at Saryuu's question, seemed to relax a bit.

"Why did you bring her out in the first place, Saru?" Meia asked the white haired boy, completely ignoring Aoi.

Saryuu smiled at her, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I think she might be more useful than you think, Meia." _Hold on a second, useful? What are they talking about? _Aoi thought. Was this about those drabbles she made and the theories she came up with? It seemed like it. In the meantime, Meia shot her a sceptical glance and Aoi noticed that she had beautiful green eyes.

"But you'll have enough time to discuss that later," Saryuu said relaxed and he bent forward to blow in his cup of hot tea before he carefully took a sip.

"What do you mean?" Meia asked the question that was on Aoi's lips as well.

Saryuu smiled at the purple haired girl, but again, that smile didn't reach his eyes. "I mean that you two are going to be roommates from this day on." The beige haired boy with the glasses, who had just taken a sip from his water, spat it out in the air.

"They are going to be what?" he exclaimed.

"Roommates, didn't you hear me?" Saryuu replied coldly.

Giris gulped and focussed on his food. He coughed every now and then because he had swallowed a part of the water the wrong way, but he tried to suppress it as he didn't want Saryuu's attention again. Aoi wondered if the white haired boy always acted this cold and superior towards the others. When he was with her, he was always so kind and gentle and genuine... Aoi realised that this was a part of Saryuu that she didn't know about and she instantly regretted trusting him. So far, everything had worked out fine, but what exactly did she know about that guy?

"Giris, you should be more careful," Meia said in a sweet tone and she grabbed the hand of the boy next to her. "All those coughes make your perfect hair all messy and your sweet voice rough. I don't want your throat to hurt."

Giris looked at her and smiled a bright smile. He placed his free hand on top of Meia's and looked her deep in the eye. "Oh Meia, my queen, you are the kindest and most beautiful person I've ever met. I would use my voice to keep on repeating your wonderful name, even if it hurt so much that I lost my voice. And even then, I would keep on forming your name with my lips, as in a silent, delicate song that only you and the gods will be able to hear." The earnest and beauty of his confession fell a bit because he was still coughing, but it was a pretty confession nonetheless.

Aoi glanced at Saryuu to see if the white haired boy thought so too, but she saw that he was focussing solely on his tomato soup. She looked back at Meia and Giris, the former slightly giggling about Giris' words. But then Meia caught her staring. She flashed a half smile at her and asked: "Is something wrong?" The message underneath those words was clear: focus on your food, girl. Aoi quickly shook her head and turned to her food.

"She must be at a loss for words when she meets face to face with such a beautiful creature like you, Meia," Giris said. "Your angelic voice must have stolen her sound away and the two most precious emeralds in the world, which you call your eyes, must have locked her gaze until she couldn't look away anymore."

"Oh Giris."

Aoi was completely forgotten, and so was the rest of the world. The two lovers continued holding hands and staring in eachother's eyes. They smiled and giggled and complimented eachother, but they did nothing more. That surprised Aoi, since the two were most definately lovers and Aoi thought that lovers kissed a lot.

"Guys, I'm trying to eat here," Saryuu said without looking up to them. "Please help me a bit with keeping it in, will you?" Meia and Giris sent him a look, but they did what he told them. However, Aoi noticed that they were still holding hands beneath the table.

The four of them continued their meal in silence. When Saryuu was finished, he turned to Aoi with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but I have to go now. I have businesses to attend." Aoi nodded a bit unsure and Saryuu turned to the purple haired girl on the other side of the table. "Meia, I expect you to show Aoi her room, is that understood?"

Meia lowered her head a bit in a confirming nod. "Yes, Saru," she replied. Then he left and Aoi peeked cautiously at Meia and Giris. They were staring at her with curious eyes, causing Aoi to blush slightly. "Say, are you done eating?" Meia asked her. It sounded uninterested, but not unfriendly. Aoi nodded and stood up. She followed Meia and Giris to where they could leave their plates and tried her best to ignore the stares she got.

After they left the cafeteria and said goodbye to Giris - which took awfully long since the two lovers kept on comlimenting and flirting with each other - Aoi and Meia walked through the empty hallways. They didn't say a word and Aoi looked around, trying not to get lost in the building.

She saw a big white door and halted to take a better look at it. It stood out because of it's colour: it was so white that it almost hurt her eyes. "What are you doing?" Meia's voice pulled her out of her staring session and before Aoi knew what happened, the purple haired girl had already grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward.

"That's Saru's room," she explained after a few seconds, still not letting go of Aoi's wrist. Aoi realised that that wasn't because they were in a hurry: Meia was scared that Aoi would run off. _Well, where would I run off to? _Aoi thought sarcastically. _It's not like I have a place to go._ The loss of her family almost got the better of her, but she suppressed her tears and the thoughts. It was still too fresh, too painful to think about.

Meia stopped in front of a smaller door and opened it, signalling for Aoi to go in first. Aoi hesitately oblighed and blinked with her eyes, letting them adjust to the darkness in the room. She made out two beds, both properly made. The entire room looked neat, but it was obvious that only one side was used.

Meia closed the door - causing the darkness in the room to increase - and pointed to one of the beds. "That's your side," she said curtly.

"Thank you," Aoi replied, not really sure about how she should react. She walked towards the bed and sat down on it. Meia turned on the light and sat down on her bed as well. She watched Aoi as the blue haired girl looked curiously around the room. Then she saw how Aoi froze and stared with widened eyes towards Meia's desk. Meia turned her gaze there as well and instantly saw what scared the other girl.

On her desk laid her latest project. It was unfinished, but it was obvious what it was.

A gun.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the Biology lesson early in the chapter, but that was what we talked about in Biology a few days ago and I thought it fit the Second Stage Children really well. I hope that all of you understand my explanation and such, 'cause it's really all gibberish if you don't know any Biology.<strong>

**Well, Aoi is out of her cell, what's next? To be honest, I have no idea :p I think I'll make the following chapters a bit shorter, because it takes a lot of time to finish one chapter.**

**Review maybe?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Saryuu: Where on earth is she?!**

**Meia: I dunno...**

**Me: Hey... I'm here.**

**Saryuu: *frowns* You're late. And you look terrible!**

**Me: I had to cycle home from work and I had crosswind and it was RAINING FREAKING HARD and... Wait a minute, did you just call me ugly?**

**Saryuu: I err...**

**Meia: So, how about we go on with the story?**

**Me: *glares at Saryuu* I don't own Inazuma Eleven. Enjoy.**

**Meia: *whispers* Pssst, Saru, run.**

**Saryuu: Eh? *sees me glaring at him* a-ah, well, I'll be going then... *runs off***

**Me: YOU GET BACK HERE YOU LAZY MONKEY! COME HERE AND APOLOGISE! *starts chasing after Saryuu***

**Meia: *sweatdrop* Well... enjoy the story minna! I'll go and make sure that Lotus Sword doesn't kill Saru ('cause that way it'd be hard to finish this story).**

* * *

><p>Aoi's heart beated rapidly. <em>A gun, a gun, a gun.<em> That was the only thought she had at that moment. She slowly turned towards the other girl, who was looking quite amused at Aoi. _My roommate has a gun,_ Aoi thought. Meia seemed to dislike her from the start, and now that there was a weapon involved...

"Don't worry, I won't kill you," Meia smiled at her. "At least, not until Saryuu orders me to do so."

Aoi, who had relaxed a bit after the first statement, stiffened again. She looked at Meia with wide open eyes, not able to pronounce a single sound.

Meia sent her one last look before she walked towards her wardrobe and took a strange pair of clothes from it. Aoi adverted her gaze to give the other girl some privacy and looked around the room once more. She tried to ignore the threat on the desk and focussed on minor details like the colour of the wall and the pattern on the curtains. The room was predominantly purple: the walls were a light purple tint and the curtains were covered in light and dark purple stripes. The blankets on the bed were dull ocean blue, but there was a purple coverlet at the foot end. The desks, wardrobes, chairs and bed frames were made of simple wood, but they fit in perfectly. There was a wooden floor with a small round rug in the middle and the ceiling was painted white.

"Are you done looking around?" Meia asked. Aoi saw that the purple haired girl now wore some sort of uniform. It looked like some sort of blue and white toga with a golden belt. The girl shoved a sky blue band on her right upper arm. Then she looked Aoi in the eye again. "Are you done?" she asked again. Aoi nodded in reply. "Great, let's go then."

"Go?" Aoi sounded unsure. Where would they go to? And why did she have to come along?

"Yes, go," Meia replied curtly before she opened the door and waited for Aoi to follow her. Aoi did as she was told and the two girls walked through the empty halls in silence.

"Uhm, Meia?" Aoi started in a soft tone. "Where are we going exactly?"

"Ah, yes, you wouldn't know yet," Meia said kindly and she even flashed Aoi a small - and real - smile. "We are heading to my practice. And you are coming along because I don't think that Saryuu trusts you to be alone in here."

"Practice?"

"Soccer practice."

"Soccer?" Now that was something new. Aoi had never heard of anything called soccer. Could it be some sort of weapon? Would Meia shoot at several targets with one of her guns? Or maybe it was a different kind of weapon?

"Yeah, soccer. It's a sport," Meia replied calmly, interrupting Aoi's thoughts.

"A sport?"

"Are you going to repeat everything I say and put a question mark behind it or what?"

"Sorry, it's just... I never heard of anything like it and I'm curious about what it is."

"You'll see. We're here."

Meia opened two heavy-looking doors with a flick of her hand and walked in. Aoi wondered if she other girl had opened the door with her Second Stage Children powers or if there were movement sensors that opened the door automatically. When she realised that the other girl was way ahead of her, she quickly jogged after her. Meia walked towards a group of people who were all wearing the same clothes as she did. Well, all but one. There was one big guy with half of his face covered in metal, who wore a similar uniform, but it was mainly purple. The guy sent Aoi a glare and the girl flinched. She felt all eyes on her and it made her wish that she could sink into the ground.

"Why is she here?" someone asked bluntly.

"Saryuu's orders," Meia answered and she glared at the person who spoke. "This is Sorano Aoi, as you may or may not already know, and she will watch our practice today."

Aoi realised the real message between Meia's words: Aoi wasn't here so that she could overlook their practice... She was there so that they could keep an eye on her. Metalhead's next words confirmed it: "Great, now we have to babysit as well."

Aoi felt how a blush crept up her cheeks and she looked at the ground. Meia clapped her hands and ordered the others to run a few laps around the field. She joined them, while Giris stayed behind. He beckoned Aoi to follow him and they walked towards the bench on the side of the field. He explained the basics of soccer to her in a soft voice and told her the names of his teammates. Aoi's head spun when he finally told her to sit down and. He went to join the others in their practice and Aoi watched all of them silently.

She paid close attention to every exercise they did, but she got a bit bored after a while. After all, the practice went on and on and the exercises weren't all that spectacular. They were at first of course, but that changed when Aoi got used to this strange game. Moreover, Aoi started to feel very useless. She wanted to do something, but she didn't know what and she was sure that Meia and Giris would be very angry with her if she left the bench.

Aoi glanced over at the two lovers. They stood in front of the... goal, was it? She wasn't entirely sure, but she believed that Giris called the thing a goal. Anyways, they stood in front of the goal with the ball at their feet. Metalhead - she forgot his name - stood in front of the goal as well and Aoi understood now that Meia and Giris were trying to get the ball in the net and that Metalhead would try to stop them. They were just practicing shoots, so the other teammates stood on the sides and watched their captain and her lover, who stood with their backs towards each other.

Meia kicked the ball up and suddenly, it was surrounded by flower petals. She directed her purple glowing palms towards the ball and the petals got plucked, one by one, until there were no more left. The ball swirled and emited a blue light that became brighter with every petal that got plucked. When it was so bright that Aoi almost had to look away, Giris appeared behind the ball from out of nowhere and kicked it towards the goal. When he landed next to Meia, they both stood still and watched their devastating shot fly towards the goal. Unfortunately, the ball changed directions and went over it.

Aoi looked at the panting, sweating, frustrated couple. They had been practicing this shot for ninety minutes straight and it just wouldn't work out. Aoi looked around to find something with which she could help them. She didn't know anything about soccer and shots of course, but maybe there was something else for her to do? Her eyes fell on the empty water bottles. Maybe she could get them some water? It was important to drink well when you practice intensely. She could hear her tennis trainer say those words over and over again to new members and for a moment, she was overwhelmed with grief as she remembered the careless, peaceful life that she had only a month ago. But she shook her head vigorously to get rid of the thoughts and glanced at the team again. They were all focussing on shooting, no one paid attention to her. She knew she had to stay at the bench, but... She would only be gone for a minute or three... Would they notice it?

When Meia and Giris positioned themselves for another attempt for their shot, Aoi made her decision. It wouldn't take long, she would go back right away. She took the box with water bottles and after casting one last look on the team, she snuck out of the gym. She quickly found a tap and quietly filled the bottles with water, unaware that she was being watched from the shadows.

* * *

><p><strong>Meia: Found... them?<strong>

**Saryuu: ow, my head.**

**Me: A. Po. Lo. Gise. NOW!**

**Saryuu: Err, I'm sorry?**

**Me: Okay ^^ *Happily skips off***

**Saryuu and Meia: *sweatdrop* Leave a review please.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Me: Good evening people! ^^ After reading all your sweet reviews, I just couldn't sit still. I've been having great ideas for my latest story, The Final Battle (still hate the title, though) but I decided that I have to write for this one as well. I was actually planning to update this on Valentine's Day, but it seems that I've gotta do something different for that day. Maybe I'll write a Valentine one-shot or something. Just warning you, I DON'T PROMISE ANYTHING BECAUSE I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT BUT I JUST CAN'T GET THE VALENTINE THEME THINGY RIGHT WITHOUT BEING VERY CHEESY. So yeah...**

**Anyhow, we'll see how that works out on February 14. Right now, it's time for Captor of my heart. I don't own any of the characters in it, nor the other ideas and concepts from the anime... Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Aoi walked back with the water bottles, but when she silently opened the door of the gym, she knew her plan had failed. The team stood by the bench area and even from this distance, she could see that Meia was freaking out. And she was sure that it was because Aoi had left without their consent. She gulped, but then decided to take responsibility for her actions.<p>

So she carefully walked over to the team. They didn't notice her since they were all freaked out about how Saryuu might react.

"Oh god, he is going to kill me," Meia muttered. "How could I not handle a mere human?"

"Easy, Meia," Aoi said, causing the entire team to flinch. "I'm already back."

"Where the hell did you run off to?!" Metalhead screamed. Aoi backed away, startled from the volume the keeper used. Then she bumped into another player, who clearly tried to stop her from getting away.

"Take it easy," Aoi muttered cantankerous. "I wasn't gone for that long. I just saw that you two got tired," she pointed at Meia and Giris before continuing, "and I thought that you might want something to drink afterwards. My former trainer always said that it was important to drink well during practices. And seriously, you are acting ridiculous, you know that? You are treating me like I'm some sort of criminal and like I can kill all of you with a flick of my hand, while it's obvious that each and every one of you is more powerful than me. So please cut the crap and stop acting like I'm so dangerous because in comparison to you, I'm barely anything!"

Aoi wasn't really the type to get angry quickly, but when you got her mad, then she was extremely mad. She had tried to do something nice - for her captors for crying out loud - and she grew very tired of their constant glares towards her.

Her words were followed by a silence, no one said anything to her. It was an awkward silence as well, and Aoi started to feel uncomfortable. Part of her wanted to apologise for her sudden outburst, but the other part wanted to stand firm. She had already given in to so much, she wouldn't give in to this.

Then, an amused chuckle broke the silence, causing everyone to turn towards the door. There was Saryuu, leaning in the door frame. He had his arms crossed and watched the scene with clear amusement in his purple eyes. "Way to go, Aoi," he said jokingly as he made his way over to them.

Meia's face turned paler with every second. "Saru, I-I-"

"Meia, I thought I told you to watch her?"

"It's my fault," Aoi exclaimed while she stepped between Saryuu and Meia. She didn't know what made her do it, she just didn't want Saryuu to punish Meia. So far, the purple haired girl was the only one who had uttered at least a few kind words to her. Well, apart from Saryuu and Giris of course. Those three were her only sort-of-friends in this place. "I ran off without their consent, I just wanted to get them some water. I came back right away, I swear!"

Saryuu stared at her for a moment. "I know, I kept an eye on you."

Despite the situation, Aoi couldn't suppress a frustrated growl. "So you are still spying on me, eh? When will you ever stop with that?"

Saryuu chuckled, but didn't answer. "Aoi, could I have a word with you, please?"

"Eh, sure," Aoi replied, suddenly growing nervous again. She followed Saryuu towards the door, where he turned around to the team.

"You can continue your practice." With that, he left. Aoi followed him silently to the room with the big white door. Saryuu opened it and beckoned Aoi to come further. Aoi stepped inside and looked around. The room was slightly bigger than the one she shared with Meia and she noticed a door in the side wall. That door probably lead to Saryuu's bedroom, because there was no bed in this room. No, this room was more decorated like an office. There was a large writing desk and a few chairs. Saryuu gestured that she should sit down, so she sat down on one of the chairs in front of the desk. She expected Saryuu to sit down on the giant desk chair behind the desk, but he didn't. Instead, he took the guest chair next to her. He sat down and stared at her.

Aoi started to feel uncomfortable under his gaze and the fact that they were sitting rather close to each other didn't really help. She cleared her throat and Saryuu blinked before he smiled at her.

"You wanted to talk to me?" It was a stupid question, but Aoi didn't know what else she could say.

"What do you think of soccer, Aoi?"

"Ehm... Well, it's an interesting sport. As far as I understand it, it seems really fun to do. But why have I never heard of it before? I mean, if it is so much fun, why don't other's know it so that they can play it too?"

Saryuu flashed her a sad smile. "I think that you should blame El Dorado for that. You see, Second Stage Children all descend from talented soccer players and El Dorado wants us wiped out, so they banned soccer about six or seven years ago. If you never played it before, then I doubt that you'll remember it. However, we just couldn't forget about soccer. I mean, the need to play is practically in our DNA and we just couldn't give up on it so easily."

"I don't think there is such a thing as a need to play a sport that is derived from your DNA," Aoi muttered while thinking about what Saryuu said. "But please continue." She failed to notice the look of amusement and interest that Saryuu gave her before he continued.

"So we kept on playing. But El Dorado didn't just want soccer banned from this time, they wanted it banned from history as well. After all, if soccer never existed, then there would never be talented soccer players. And if there weren't talented soccer players, the Second Stage Children would have never been born."

"I see..."

It remained silent for a few minutes before Saryuu broke it again. "You caused quite a scene back there, don't you think?"

Aoi blushed a bit when she looked up. "That wasn't my intention, really. I just wanted to help them since I felt so useless and I... I..." Saryuu's chuckle broke her drivel.

"I was just teasing you, Aoi," he laughed. She blushed even more at the comment. He continued after he admired her red cheeks with a remarkable interest. "But maybe you're right. We all know how it feels to be useless and none of us like it. So maybe..." He paused after that, seemingly lost in thought.

Aoi waited patiently for him to continue, but eventually, her curiosity won over her patience. "Maybe what?"

Saryuu's eyes met her again and he flashed her a warm smile. "Maybe you can become Giru's manager."

"Manager? Hold on, what's Giru to begin with?"

Saryuu chuckled. "Giru is the team you watched this afternoon. The one with Meia and Giris. As their manager, you would be in charge of helping them back stage. Filling their water bottles for example," he snickered and Aoi laughed along.

"Sounds good," she smiled at him. He smiled back and she almost lost herself in his mysterious purple orbs. But then he closed his eyes - just like that day in her cell - and laughed to himself.

"Maybe you should go back to your room now," he said when he opened his eyes again. "I bet Meia is back already. Can you find your way back there on your own?"

Aoi nodded and, though a bit reluctantly, she walked towards the door. With her hand on the doorknob, she turned around again. Saryuu was still watching her with that kind smile on his lips. "Saryuu?"

"Hmm?"

"Why?"

"Why what?"

She thought about this for a second. What was she asking exactly? "Why do you want me to become Giru's manager so suddenly? And why did you let me out of my cell? Why did you even let me live in the first place?"

He laughed genuinely. "Which one of those do you want me to answer?"

"All of them," Aoi said with a small blush on her cheeks.

"Sorry, I can't do that," he said sternly, though she saw the twinkle in his eyes that indicated that he was teasing her. She pouted.

"Please?"

"Alright, I'll answer one. You'll find the rest out later, okay?"

She nodded, still not really satisfied, but she decided not to push her luck. After all, a few answers was better than no answers at all, right?

"As for your first question," Saryuu started. He tapped his chin with his finger as if he was thinking really hard, but she knew that he already knew the answer. "You said it yourself, you didn't want to feel useless. And I saw this afternoon how happy you became from doing that one little thing for the others. So that's why, I guess."

She nodded, thinking about it for a moment before she turned around and opened the door. Though, before she had closed it completely, she heard him add a few words. It was clearly his intention that she heard it, since he said it loud enough for her to hear.

"And besides, you're way more beautiful when you smile."

* * *

><p><strong>Me: AAAARGH! *bangs head against the wall* Is it just me or was this kinda crappy... I think I completely messed up Aoi's personality towards Saryuu and the others... I mean, when I started this story, she was like: <em>you killed my family and ruined my life. I hate you!<em> and now she's just being the cheerful girl... Well, can't change that anymore. Anyways, It'll work out, right?**

**Tenma: Hey, that's my line!**

**Me: Tenma? What are you doing here?**

**Tenma: Well, there was a guest that asked if Fei and I would appear in this thing too, and now I'm curious as well, so I came here to ask you.**

**Me: Is Fei here too?**

**Tenma: Nope, he's at home watching TV.**

**Me: Well, go and get him then.**

**Tenma: *blinks* Eh? *shrugs, walks off, returns with Fei***

**Fei: Why am I here?**

**Me: You need to here my answer ^.^**

**Fei: Okay...? And that is?**

**Me: No, I don't think that Tenma and Fei will appear much in this. Fei did appear in the first chapter (he was the boy that attacked Aoi's mind) and maybe he'll appear again later, but not very much. As for Tenma, I don't know yet if I'm going to write the matches in great detail, since that would be boring as you could see those in the animes. For now, I'm not planning on an encounter between Aoi and Tenma (mainly because my mind would explode since I can't use the 'childhood friends'-thingie). But who knows?**

**Fei: ... You got me here just to say that?**

**Me: Jupp :3**

**Tenma: *sweatdrop* please leave a review, people!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Me: Hey minna! It's been a while, but here it is, the SIXTH CHAPTER OF CAPTOR OF MY HEART! :3 I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: the usual drill; I don't own, you know?**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

><p>When Aoi entered her room, her cheeks were still slightly red from Saryuu's comment. Had she heard it right? Did he mean what she thought that he meant? She shook her head to get rid of the thoughts about the white haired boy. She could think about that later.<p>

She saw how Meia sat on the bed, nervously fidgeting with her fingers and swinging her legs back and forth. She looked up when Aoi came in and smiled an unsure half smile, but didn't say a word. Aoi closed the door behind her and walked to her bed. She sat down as well, not sure if she should look the other girl in the eye or not. When she finally looked up, she caught Meia glancing at her.

The silence was very awkward and there was a clear tension in the air. Aoi figured she should say something, or else they would be sitting here in silence for all eternity. She cleared her throat.

"So... Did you manage to complete your trick?"

Meia blinked and then scoffed. "Are you serious?" After studying Aoi's confused look, she continued. "You've been taken away by Saru just after you ran off, which proved my incompetence by the way, and you have probably been in his office for half an hour. And here you are asking about our hissatsu technique?"

"Uhm, yes?"

Meia chuckled and shook her head. "You are an interesting girl, Sorano Aoi." Aoi looked away, not really sure how to respond to the other girl's change of mood. "Did Saru... say anything about me?" Meia asked after a few seconds.

"No, he didn't mention you at all actually. Don't worry, I believe he already forgot the whole incident."

"No, Saru never forgets anything..."

"Say Meia?"

"What is it?"

"Why do you keep on calling him Saru? Isn't his name Saryuu? Saryuu Evans?"

"Yes it is, but we're on the work floor here. And as long as we're on the work floor, Saru is our leader and we have to address him by his code-name. We used to call him Saryuu when we were not working anymore, but eventually, we ended up calling him Saru all the time."

"I see..."

Meia stood up and walked towards her desk. "I have to continue with my project," she said and Aoi flinced as she thought about the gun. Meia looked at her for a few more seconds before her eyes became softer and her lips curled up in a sweet smile. "I... could use some help?"

.

Meia explained as clear as possible how the weapons worked and told Aoi exactly what to do. Aoi felt a bit strange at the start, but she soon enjoyed the project they were working on. She told things about herself and learned more things about Meia, such as what powers she had. The purple haired girl could do telekinesis, which meant that she could move objects around with her mind. That came in handy when one of the screws fell to the ground or when something in an unreachable place was wrong, Aoi noticed. But there was a downside to that, since Meia got easily tired from such little tasks.

By the time that Giris came to fetch his lover and Aoi for dinner, the two girls got along as if they had been best friends since forever instead of since a few hours. Seeing how Meia got along with Aoi, Giris opened up towards her as well. Aoi was glad that she wasn't treated like a prisoner anymore, but more like a normal teenage girl. Saryuu joined them for dinner at the same table as before, but he quickly excused him as soon as he had finished his meal. Aoi felt somehow disappointed about that, but she shrugged it off and continued her conversation with the two lovers.

After dinner, Meia and Aoi had some free time to spend until 9:30 p.m., which was their curfew (Saryuu was really strict about things like that). It turned out that Meia was the person who owned the books that Aoi read in her cell, and the two girls happily chatted along about the plots and the (male) characters and recommended certain books to each other. At precisely 9:30 p.m., they said their 'goodnight's and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Aoi watched over Giru's practice the next day as well. The members accepted her as their manager, though a bit reluctantly. This stung Aoi, but she figured that it would change in time. Right now, she just had to do her best to help the team in any way she could. The practice was the same as yesterday's: warming up, passing, a small match and then the hissatsu shoot from Meia and Giris. Everything went well, except for the shoot. No matter how much the couple practiced, they just couldn't get it right. The ball would always lose its power and change directions.<p>

Aoi looked the couple closely as they practiced their shoots. She unconsciously analyzed their movements and the shot itself. There had to be some kind of mistake, something that made the ball lose its power. But what? She watched as Meia and Giris positioned themselves for another try. _What is it?_ Meia directed her palms to the ball once more. _What is it?_ The ball started to glow and was suddenly surrounded by purple flower petals. _What is it? _The flower petals got plucked one by one and the ball shone brighter and brighter. _What on earth is it?_ Then Giris appeared from behind the ball and kicked it towards the goal. Aoi blinked. Wait, did she see that right? Could that be it? She watched the couple a little longer and then walked towards them with two water bottles.

"What is she doing here?" someone silently muttered, but it was loud enough for Aoi to hear and she slowed down a bit, suddenly uncertain whether she should do this or not. But then she walked up to the panting couple and handed them the water bottles, which they took without a word of protest.

"What do we do wrong?" Meia thought out loud while panting. "Is our timing still off?"

"I don't think it's your timing," Aoi said.

"What would you know about it?" Metalhead said grumpily. Aoi ignored him.

"Giris, why don't you try to shoot with your right leg instead of your left?"

"Eh?" the boy replied. "But I am left handed, so it's easier to use my left leg for the attacks."

"I know, but I think that that is why it fails all the time. You jump straight and then kick it to the goal, but it always goes over it. I think that maybe, when you maintain a horizontal position in the air and kick it with your right foot, you can keep it low. I don't know if it will work, but that may be why it always goes over the goal..." Aoi trailed off and the silence that was left was only broken by the soft pants from Meia and Giris.

"It's worth a try," Giris admitted and he and Meia handed their water bottles back to Aoi before they positioned themselves for another attempt. This time, the ball went straight to the goal, although it still lost its power. Metalhead could catch it easily. As for the end of the shoot, that wasn't perfect either. Since Giris wasn't used to this kind of movement, he fell to the ground instead of landing as smoothly as he did before. He stood up and dusted off his uniform before he looked to Meia and Aoi.

"You were right," he said, "it's easier to helm when I kick it with my right foot. It will take some getting used to, but I think I can manage to perfect that movement."

"What are you talking about?" Metalhead screamed from his position in the goal. The ball was under his right arm and he pointed to Aoi. "She was plain wrong, didn't you see? I caught it easily. She should just go back to the bench and don't say things that she knows nothing about."

"No, I will not sent her back to the bench," Meia replied calmly. "Our shoot has two problems, the change of directions and the loss of power. Aoi helped us to solve one of those problems, so now we can focus solely on the second one. Any ideas for that?" she asked Aoi. The latter looked like she didn't hear anything, but then she shook her head.

"I'm not sure, the problem could lay in many things. Maybe it's your timing, as you said before, or maybe it is that the power that the both of you give to the ball cancel each other. Maybe it's a movement that is wrong or maybe you power it up to much or to less at the start... Or maybe it's something completely different. It's all possible, so I wouldn't know. I'm sorry."

The other teammates processed her words and Giris smiled at her. "It's okay. Why don't you just go back to the bench and tell us if you have an idea about it? After all, sometimes you have to take a step back to see the bigger picture, am I right?"

Aoi nodded and walked back to the bench. The team parted to make way for her and she noticed that some of the members sent her an approving glance. She didn't know exactly why, but that made her very happy and she smiled as she sat down on the bench. She watched the others as they continued their practice. They sometimes shot her glances to check if she already had an idea about the shoot, but she got nothing. Of course, she had various ideas, but she should narrow them down first before she bothered the others with them.

Still, the pleading glances she received from them made her smile even wider. It felt good to be needed, to be wanted again.

_"The wider your smile, the more beautiful you are," _she thought, and it took her a few seconds to realize that it was said in Saryuu's echoing voice. She turned around to find him standing behind her, his eyes still glowing purple.

"Are you sure your power isn't appearing from out of nowhere?" she sighed while she tried to slow her racing heart down. "You're pretty good at that too." He chuckled and sat down next to her.

"Why are you here, Saru?" Aoi asked politely.

His eyes narrowed and he looked at her from head to toe. "Why are you calling me that?"

"Oh, eh, well... Meia told me yesterday that she and the others had to call you by your code name when they were on the work floor and I thought that I should do that too and I just figured that Saru was your code name so I thought I should call you that and... yeah, that's why," she rambled. He laughed and after a few seconds, Aoi joined him. "Sorry, I tend to twaddle sometimes," she admitted. "It's an annoying habit of mine, I'm working on it."

He laughed once more and leaned closer to her. "I think I prefer that you call me Saryuu, Aoi," he whispered in her ear. She could feel his warm breath on her skin and he was so close that she could smell his scent. Her heart sped up again and her cheeks grew warm. Then Saryuu leaned back and looked at the team. "I see I did a good job on letting you out. I knew your analytical skills could help us further."

"Does this mean that I only have to find one more answer?" Aoi asked after a while. Saryuu gave her a confused look and she explained. "Yesterday, I asked you three questions and you only answered one. You said I had to find out the rest myself. You told me why you wanted me to become Giru's manager and just now, you told me why you let me out of that room. Because my analytical skills, right? So that means I only have to find out the answer to my final question: why did you let me live in the first place?" She paused for a while and studied his face. "Since I got the first answer on the first day I was let out of my cell and the second answer on the second day, does that mean that you'll answer my third question tomorrow?"

"The final answer on the final day that you're let out of your cell?" Saryuu asked without looking at her and Aoi's heart skipped a beat when she processed these words. Would he really... Saryuu chuckled and admired her shocked expression for a while. "I'm teasing you, Aoi."

"I-I know that," she said, but her voice shook a little.

He extended his arm and softly rubbed her back. "Hey, relax. I'm not putting you back in that cell, don't worry." The skin on her back started to tingle where he touched her and Aoi had to admit that she quite liked this feeling. When Saryuu stopped and stood up, Aoi had to stop herself from pouting. "I'm going now, since I see the team is almost done. As for the answer to your last question, that depends on you. I won't tell you so easily, so you'll have to find it out yourself. Who knows, maybe you know it tomorrow."

He started to walk away, but then he seemed to recall something and he turned around to her. "One more thing, Aoi. It's about that 'annoying habit of yours'," he paused a while and Aoi looked him in the eye, curious about what he would say. Then he smiled kindly at her. "Stop working on it. It's cute, I like it."

* * *

><p><strong>Aaaaand that's it! Now all I want to say is:<strong>

**- I hope you enjoyed  
><strong>**- Reviews make me happy  
><strong>**- I'll try to update soon**

**Bye!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Me: hello, minna-san! Okay, for starters, does anyone know when the english subbed version of the new Galaxy episodes comes online? I find small clips and such everywhere and now I'm dying to watch it, but the new ones (33 and counting) aren't subbed yet. :'{**

**Ah well, let's focus on the story. The usual lame disclaimer applies and I hope that you enjoy this.**

**Okay, let's start with stupid soundeffects! -.-'**

* * *

><p><em>Thud, pock, theck.<em>

_Thud, pock, theck._

_Thud, pock, theck._

Aoi sat on her bed, her eyes staring off into space. In her right hand was a tennis ball, which she threw to the wall. It bounced off and bounced again on the ground before she caught it with her hand.

She thought about her life here in Feida. Two months had passed since she was free from her cell and much had happened since that day. She was still Giru's manager and the team members had quickly accepted her as one of them. She smiled to herself.

The hissatsu technique that Meia and Giris tried to pull off back then was completed, and they had called it 'Death Future'. Aoi didn't really understand the name, but Giris had explained to her that it was poetic and deep and blah blah blah. She stopped listening after the first two sentences. It didn't really bother her anyways.

She learned a lot about the other players as well and memorized their stats. Every practice was analyzed, so that the data was always up to date. She used this data to study someones weaknesses and after a while, she even came up with practice assignments to improve these flaws. Saryuu had once said that her talents were blooming.

At first, she only came up with practice assignments for soccer. But about three weeks ago, Saryuu had another request for her. He asked Aoi to come up with exercises that would enhance the SSC-powers. Aoi had agreed to it - Saryuu could be very convincing - and was assigned with one person to start with. After all, Saryuu said, everyone's powers are unique and he didn't want to strain Aoi. Her first 'test subject' was Meia, since they were roommates.

Her smile widened at the thought of their white haired leader. Whenever the boy was around, Aoi would get such a warm feeling. A strange feeling of happiness ran through her body every time Saryuu looked or smiled at her. She threw the tennis ball again stared dreamily in the distance.

Meia was sitting at her desk, working on her project. It was still the same that Aoi saw on her first day. Although Meia was working on it every day, it was never really finished. To Aoi, the gun hadn't changed anymore since a few weeks ago. Not that she dared to oppose Meia in this matter, or else her roommate would explain _very very detailed_ what progress she had made today.

"Can you please stop that?" the purple haired girl suddenly exclaimed. Aoi turned around to her with the tennis ball in her hand.

"Stop what?"

"That bouncing, it's annoying," she said before she bowed over her project once more.

Aoi's lips formed a smile. Two months ago, she wouldn't have dared to disobey this fuming girl, but a lot had changed since then. Slowly, she swung her hand back and forth and released the tennis ball.

_Thud. Pock. Theck._

It bounced against the wall, the floor and her hand once again. Meia stiffened at the sound and glared at her, but Aoi only gave her an innocent smile. As the two girls were glaring at each other, Aoi repeated the action once more, provoking Meia.

"Don't. You. Dare," the latter threatened as Aoi swung her hand forward.

_Thud. Pock._

The rhythm was interrupted because the ball suddenly stopped in mid air. Aoi jumped forward to grab it, but the ball, now glowing purple, dodged her and flew towards the ceiling. Aoi looked at Meia, who held her arm up with her glowing palm directed towards the ball, and pouted. "No fair."

"Finally, rest," Meia giggled and she flashed Aoi a smirk. But Aoi wasn't going to give up that easily. She kicked off her shoes and stepped on her bed. She still couldn't reach the little ball, but if she jumped...

She did and managed to catch the ball in her first try. However, now she had a new problem. The thing was, this wasn't the first time something like this happened. Meia often levitated Aoi's stuff and Aoi would always grab them out of the air with a jump and land on her feet. The problem now was...

"I see you've improved," she smiled sourly as her feet floated above the bed. She clung onto the tiny ball, since that was literally the only thing that kept her from falling. Meia often had trouble with lifting heavy things, which was why Aoi was always able to get her stuff back if she grabbed it. However, Meia had improved so much that Aoi's weight wasn't a problem for her anymore. Conclusion: Meia could still keep the ball at the ceiling when Aoi was holding on to it.

"Your exercises are working," Meia smiled and she shook the ball with her mind, obviously aiming for Aoi to release it. Aoi clung onto it with all her might, using both her hands and feet, as she squealed at the sudden movements.

"Stop it, stop it," she giggled, but Meia didn't listen. They were interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

"Who is it?" they chirped in unison as if they weren't fighting over a stupid floating tennis ball. The door opened to reveal Giris, who smiled warmly at them. If he thought it was weird to see a girl clinging onto a floating tennis ball, then he didn't show it.

"Hey Giris," Aoi laughed, like this was the most normal situation to be in right now. Meia lowered her palm, which had stopped glowing and gravity took over again. Aoi fell and landed with her back on her bed. She squealed from fright, but laughed when she hit the soft mattress.

"Thanks a lot, Meia," she frowned at her roommate, but then she started laughing. Meia joined in and soon, both girls were rolling over the floor from laughter.

"I can't believe you dropped me," Aoi giggled while she clung onto her belly. It hurt from all the laughing, but it was a good kind of pain.

"You should have seen your face!" Meia yelled with tears in her eyes. Someone cleared his throat and both girls looked up to Giris, who was still standing near the door. They had completely forgotten about him. They looked at each other before they started laughing again, though it was more controlled than before.

"Are you ready, my flower?" Giris asked and a adoring glance came in his eyes.

"Oh my, not yet, my love. I still have to change," Meia answered as she pointed towards the soccer uniform that she was still wearing. "I don't want to wear something like this to our date." It was only then that Aoi noticed that Giris wore a light blue suit, which matched perfectly with his dark violet eyes.

"Meia, my queen, even when you are dressed up in a hessian bag, you would be prettier than the rarest flower and you'd shine brighter than the sun. Even the most valuable jewel in the world would have to bow down before your beauty. With eyes as green as the leaves on the trees, with teeth as white and pure as snow and with cheeks as soft as the sakura blossoms, no other maiden can compete with you. Every morning, when you open your eyes, the birds will start chirping to praise you. Every time the wind blows through your hair, it-"

He was interrupted by Aoi, who placed her hands on his chest and pushed him out of the room. "Hey!" she heard him yell in indignation as she shut the door in his face.

"Bye Giris~" she laughed before she turned around to her roommate. Her smile was replaced by a serious look. "You, change. Now."

"You're overreacting, Aoi," Meia pouted as she took off her uniform.

"No, I'm not," Aoi replied as she went to the closet to get Meia's dress. She knew exactly which one she had to grab, since Meia had showed it to her a dozen times. "If I let him talk, the two of you will still be here by midnight."

"We _will_ be here by midnight," Meia stated matter-of-factly. "Or at least, I will. You know how strict Saryuu is with his curfews."

"Yeah... Say, what are you and Giris going to do by the way? We're in the middle of nowhere, it's not like he can take you to the cinema or something."

"He'll take me on a long romantic walk through the forest," Meia said dreamy. Aoi laughed and tossed the dress to Meia, which she easily caught.

Ten minutes later, Aoi opened the door and saw an impatient Giris leaning against the wall opposite her. "Easy, easy, she's done," Aoi laughed as she opened the door further to reveal Meia, who looked breathtaking in her light purple dress. It was slightly lighter than her hair and it reached to her knees. In her hair was a snowcoloured orchid.

Aoi tried to hold her laughter when she saw how Giris was actually dumbfounded for the first time since she met him. "Have fun you two," she smiled before she closed the door. She heard how the pair gently walked away and sat down on her bed.

However, after a few minutes, someone knocked on her door. "Come in," Aoi yelled cheerfully, figuring that it was Meia who had forgotten something. The door opened and Aoi sat up straight when she saw who it actually was.

"Saryuu..."

* * *

><p><strong>Me: Wow... Actually nothing happened here. Sorry people, this was more like a filler chapter, but I just want to show a bit how Aoi's relationship with the others is right now. Next chapter is probably more with the story again (wut? Is that even English?).<strong>

**Anyhow, read, review and breath. Although the last one is obviously the most important one, I would appreciate the first two as well!^^**


	8. Chapter 8

**Me: Yosh, here I am again with yet another chapter of Captor of my Heart. Last time, Meia and Giris left for their date and then Saryuu came. Now let's find out what will happen.**

**Timon: He... She... Alone...**

**Pumbaa: What's wrong with that?**

**Timon: ~I can see it happen~...**

**Pumbaa: What?**

**Timon: ~And they don't have a clue!~**

**Me: Uhm, guys? This ain't Disney, you know? If you want to say something, do the disclaimer please!**

**Timon and Pumbaa: Alright! Lotus Sword doesn't own Inazuma Eleven Go Chrono Stone or us, we just dropped by ^^**

**Me: *sweatdrop* Enjoy minna!**

* * *

><p>"Saryuu..."<p>

The said white haired boy flashed her his confident smile as he walked into the room. "I am not interrupting, am I?"

"No, you aren't," Aoi hurried to say. "I wasn't really doing anything, actually." His smile widened.

"That's good to hear, because I wanted to discuss something with you. Can you come with me for a while?" Aoi nodded and followed him to his office. None of them said a thing on the way, but the silence wasn't awkward. Well, not too awkward at least. Aoi did feel a little nervous around Saryuu though.

"Please enter," Saryuu said as he held the door for her. Aoi walked inside and sat down on one of the chairs. Saryuu sat down on the other chair after closing the door. He didn't say a word, he just stared at her with that smile still on his lips. Aoi started to grow a bit nervous, so she cleared her throat. Saryuu seemed to snap out of his trance.

"So, eh... What did you want to talk about, Saryuu?" she asked.

"I heard that Meia's powers are increasing significantly," he started and Aoi nodded. She was surprised to feel... disappointed? Why? Saryuu just wanted to talk about the results of her practice schedule. Of course it was about that, why else would he want to talk to her? Leading a big organisation like Feida wasn't an easy task and Saryuu was a very busy boy, so it was only logical that he wanted to talk with her about important matters like this one.

"Yes, that's true. A little earlier, she managed to keep a tennis ball in the air while I was clinging onto it. She kept it up for quite a while and she didn't seem really exhausted afterwards either." She smiled as she recalled the scene that played in her room a little while ago.

"You clinging onto a floating tennis ball, eh? Now that is something I would have loved to see," Saryuu snickered. "Too bad I wasn't there..." His eyes started to glow. _"Although there are other ways to see it,"_ Aoi heard in her head. Her intestines did a few summersaults when she realized that he wanted to read her or Meia's mind to find out what happened... For some reason, the thought that Saryuu saw her floating in the air, clinging onto a tennis ball with both her hands and feet, was really embarrassing to Aoi.

"Don't you dare," she threatened and Saryuu smirked as his eyes stopped glowing.

"Who is gonna stop me~?"

"I'm serious Saryuu, don't do that!"

"Or else~?"

"Or else... else... Aargh, just don't do it, okay?" Aoi exclaimed while pressing her temples in defeat. Saryuu chuckled at her behaviour.

"Why would yo mind, anyways?" he asked.

"It's embarrassing," Aoi said with bright red cheeks. "You're gonna laugh at me if you see it and I don't want you to think I'm a goofy fool."

Saryuu kept silence for at least half a minute, staring at Aoi with widened eyes. When he eventually broke the silence, he seemed to have trouble with speaking. "You... You managed to compose a complete theory about how our powers work by only hearing my stories, you helped Meia and Giris finish their hissatsu technique and you turned one of our weakest members into one of the most powerful of all. You're definitely no goofy fool, Aoi, on the contrary."

Aoi didn't know what to say. It wasn't like Saryuu to compliment someone and she wasn't used to this. "I, eh..." She cleared her throat. "A-anyways, just don't look at it, okay?"

The smile he gave her was kind and understanding. "Alright then," he said, "_if_... you can do me a favour, that is."

"A favour?"

"Yes, a favour. That was why I called you here. As I said before, Meia's powers increased a great deal and she is now one of our strongest members. That's why I wanted you to develop a schedule for someone else, so that more people can get stronger."

Aoi nodded and made a list in her head of things that she would need to do. "I understand, who do you want me to help? Giris, maybe? Or-"

"Me."

Aoi looked at him in shock, figuring that he might be joking. But Saryuu eyed her with nothing but seriousness, so she carefully asked: "You?" That had to be a mistake, right?

"Yes, me."

"But why?"

"Is it that shocking?"

"Well, you're already very powerful, aren't you? That's why you are our leader after all."

He chuckled. "I still have a lot to learn, you know."

"Hmm, I guess you're right. But if I'm going to do this, I need to get a clear image of your potenial, which means that I have to ask you many questions and stuff."

"Alright."

"Great. Please wait a minute, I'll go and fetch my notebook." Saryuu nodded and Aoi left the room, only to return a minute later with her notebook in her hand.

"That was quick," Saryuu joked. Aoi smiled before she sat down and cleared her throat. The following thirty minutes, she asked him countless questions about his powers, what he felt when he used them, what he already could do and more like those.

She wrote down his answers in her neat handwriting and soon, she had written four full pages already. It was just random information now, but she would sort it out later and try to find the hidden patterns and connections. When that was done, she could think of other uses for his power and then they would just have to try things out. No matter how she looked at it, it was obvious that she and Saryuu would spend a lot of time together in the upcoming weeks.

When she thought she had asked about everything she could ask him about his powers, she put down her pen and motioned her hand. It had become stiff from writing so much.

"So, what next?" Saryuu asked and Aoi's throat got a little dry. Next...

"Ehm, well, I wanted to try something..." she started. "I'd like to see if I can see anything else about you when you use your powers, apart from your eyes I mean. They start glowing every time you use your powers, but maybe there's something else, so yeah..."

"Alright, let's try it," Saryuu replied.

"Okay, just focus on projecting your thoughts on me."

Saryuu nodded and closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them, his orbs had the familiar purple glow. _"Like this, you mean?"_ she heard in her head and nodded in response.

"That's right." Saryuu continued to talk to her brain and Aoi watched him closely. She couldn't find something off though, so she focussed on his glowing eyes. She took her chair and moved forward, until she was sitting directly next to him. She bent forward to look him in his right eye.

_"What are you doing?" _Saryuu's voice in her head sounded rather amused.

"Just looking," she murmured, not breaking her concentration. His eyes reflected the amusement and the interest that she could hear in his tone, but he didn't respond any further. He just relaxed and let her stare into his glowing eye.

She didn't know when it changed, but suddenly... Her scientific, pertinent way of observing his glowing eyes changed. She wasn't longer studying them, she was entranced by them. His dark purple irises held entire worlds that no one had ever seen. They told a thousand stories at the same time, they held milions of mysteries. Just like a calm puddle of water, they were never the same. Every second she looked in them, she discovered new things and saw a new layer, full of mysteries and untold stories.

Her body moved completely on his own and before she realized it, she leaned even closer to him and kissed him. She closed her eyes when she pressed her lips against his, enjoying the feeling. But before Saryuu could respond and before she could drift away in the kiss, she realized what she was doing. _I'm kissing Saryuu, I'm kissing Saryuu! _she mentally screamed.

With an enormous amount of willpower, she pulled back and stared at his face. He still had the same blank expression as when she was observing him, although his eyes had stopped glowing. Aoi's cheeks became so hot and red that it hurt and she panicked. What should she do now?

Eventually, she did what her brain told her to do. She stood up and her chair fell to the ground. "I, eh... I gotta go," Aoi stuttered and she practically fled out of the room. She was in such a hurry that she didn't even close the door behind her. She just ran and ran and ran, until she reached her own room. She threw the door open, barged in, closed it behind her and dived to her bed. She picked her pillow up and hid her hot face underneath it. The cool fabric helped a bit to cool her down, but it was soon warmed up due to the extreme high temperature of her cheeks.

As she laid there with her face buried in the covers, she kept on repeating the same thing over and over in her head, like a mantra. _What have I done? What have I done? What have I done? What have I done?_

Oh god, she had actually _kissed_ Saryuu! Why on earth did she do that? How would she face him tomorrow? Would he laugh at her? Or would he be angry? Or...

She suddenly realized how tired she actually was. Today had been quite a busy day and with all the commotion that just happened, Aoi felt like she could sleep for months. Without bothering about changing to her pyjamma's, she fell asleep.

* * *

><p>In the other room, Saryuu slowly stood up and closed the door. His expression didn't change when he eyed the light blue notebook in which Aoi had written everything about his powers. He took it from the table as he sat down and flipped through the pages. She had written quite a lot already and he admired her neat handwriting for a moment. He recalled how her eyes sparkled when she asked him that many questions. She was obviously eager to find answers.<p>

The thought of her caused his lips to form a tiny smile. He raised his hand and carefully touched them, the lips she had kissed just seconds ago. He remembered how soft her lips felt and how eager she had been. His smile widened when he thought about the cute crimson blush she had afterwards.

* * *

><p><strong>Me: THEY KISSED!<strong>

**Aoi: *whispers* Not so loud, do you want everybody to hear you? *blushes***

**Me: Don't be like that, Aoi-chan. It was cute, wasn't it?**

**Saryuu: Uhm, yeah.. Sort of...**

**Timon and Pumbaa: ~CAAAAAAN YOU FEEEEEEEL THE LOOOOOVE TONIIIIIGHT?~**

**Me: *sweatdrop* Guys, still no Disney here! -.-**

**Timon and Pumbaa: *leave***

**Me: Anyways, I thought this story needed a little thing to keep it interesting, so here you go. I hope you liked it and please leave a review, because it let's me know that you like it. Also, if you have ideas/theories for the plot, critics, tips or anything else, please tell me (via a review or just PM me). I would love to hear them!**

**.**

**Bye!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Me: I'm the most stupid girl in the world.**

**Saryuu: I wholeheartedly agree.**

**Me: *glares* You're supposed to say the opposite, you know?**

**Fei: Why do you think you're stupid, Att-chan?**

**Me: Tomorrow's the first day of my test week and I didn't study at all because I had this urge to write this... So yeah. READERS, YOU BETTER BE HAPPY WITH THIS! :p (there's SaryuuxAoi-fluff~)**

**Tenma: The usual disclaimer applies. Have fun while reading this!**

* * *

><p>"Aoi! Aoi, wake up will you?" Meia's loud voice pulled Aoi back from dreamland.<p>

"Wha-?" she muttered sleepily while rubbing her eyes.

"Finally, you had me worried for a moment. You were so fast asleep," Meia smiled. That smile turned into a frown when she took a better look at Aoi. "What are you wearing? Didn't you change last night?" Aoi followed Meia's gaze and moaned. Her Feida-uniform was full of wrinkles and her hair was no doubt a mess as well.

"Give me ten minutes," she said while getting out of bed and changing into a new uniform. In the meantime, Meia happily chatted away about her date with Giris. Aoi didn't really pay attention to her and thought about what she did last night. Her cheeks heated up in an instance. Now that she was fully awake, she remembered that it wasn't a dream. She had really - she gulped before she continued her thought - _kissed_ Saryuu...

How would she ever come face to face with him? After they had breakfast in the cafeteria - thank goodness Saryuu was busy - Aoi went back to her room. She thought she could best focust on something else. Saryuu had asked her to compose a schedule for him, after all. Maybe she should just start with sorting out the information she collected last night. That way, she could just stay in her room and she wouldn't see Saryuu. Because one thing was certain: she didn't want to face Saryuu so soon again. What would he say? Would he be angry with her?

These questions and others echoed through her mind as she looked around for her notebook. Strange, it wasn't on the bookshelf... Where did she put it? She retraced her steps of last night. She went to Saryuu's office and then went back to get the notebook. She had written his answers to her questions and all other notes before she put it on the table and studied him while he used his power... Her heart grew cold when she realized the terrible truth.

She never picked up her notebook after the kiss... It was still there. In his office. Where Saryuu was right now.

What should she do? Should she just pick something else to do? But what? Compiling schedules and collecting data were her main tasks on a regular day, apart from watching over Giru's practice of course. She stared intensely at the wall, as if the answer to her problems would be written on it. But it wasn't. There was only one option and that was to go to Saryuu's office and ask for the notebook. She gulped at the thought.

It took her almost twenty minutes to gather up enough courage to leave her room, but it all disappeared on her way to her destination. She stood in front of the large white doors. Saryuu would be behind them, she knew it. She raised her hand to knock, but kept still in mid-air. Her fist trembled slightly. With closed eyes, before she would lose the last bit of courage she had left, she knocked on the door. Immediately afterwards, she wished she had never done it.

"Come in," came Saryuu's voice through the door. Aoi gulped and slowly pushed the door open. Saryuu sat behind his desk, a pile of documents was stacked in front of him. He smiled when he noticed her. "Aoi."

"Saryuu. I-eh... I left my notebook here last night, so eh..."

"Ah yes. I suppose you came here to get it back?" Aoi nodded and Saryuu got up from his chair. He walked to the left side of the room and took the light blue notebook from one of the bookshelves. He handed it to her with an innocent smile. "Do you have all the information you need? You were suddenly gone last night."

Aoi's cheeks immediately heated up at his words and she looked to the ground. She didn't know what to say, so she kept quiet instead. When Saryuu remained silent as well, Aoi gathered up her courage and finally spoke up. "S-Saryuu... About last night... I'm so sorry!" She bowed deep when she uttered those last words, her eyes closed as she awaited his response.

"Apology not accepted." Her head snapped back up and her shocked eyes met his calm ones. Of all the scenarios she had thought of in her head, she hadn't expected this to happen. Sure, she thought he would be angry or amused, but she apologized, right? She never thought that he would reject her apology.

"W-what?"

"I won't accept your apology." Saryuu stated with a straight face. "The meaning of apologizing is to show that you're sorry. Tell me, Aoi, are you truly sorry?"

"I-I... Yes, I am. I really am. I never should've let myself get so carried away."

"I don't believe you."

"B-but..."

"Look closer at your feelings, Aoi." His voice grew softer and he took a step forward.

"My... feelings?"

"Do you regret kissing me?" Another step.

Aoi stared at her feet. Did she regret kissing Saryuu? If she hadn't kissed him, she wouldn't be in this situation right now, but... Even though the kiss lasted only a few seconds, it had felt really special to her. She realized that those feelings were hidden under all the shame and worry she felt until now, but they were still there... Getting back to Saryuu's question, did she regret kissing him?

"No, I don't." It was a soft whisper, barely audible, but she was sure Saryuu heard her. She still looked intensely at the ground, afraid to look up. His feet came into her sight as he took a final step forward. She felt his soft hand under her chin as he lifted her head up and forced her to look in his eyes.

His expression was blank as usual, but he smiled sweetly after a few seconds. "Then there's no need for you to apologize."

And with those words, he softly placed his lips on hers. Aoi's eyes widened. _He... he returns my feelings?_ she thought. But then she just closed her eyes and let it all happen. This kiss felt even better than the one she had last night. Saryuu's lips caressed hers and he carefully grabbed her shoulders to pull her closer. They parted too soon for Aoi's liking, but she enjoyed staring in his dark lavender eyes after the kiss. A faint smile played on his lips and she was sure she wore a similar expression.

She suddenly pulled him closer and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest. She heard and felt him chuckle before he softly patted her back. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just happy," she replied. Saryuu, who still had a hold on her shoulders, slowly pushed her away so he could look into her eyes.

"You are a weird girl, Aoi."

"I'm... I'm sorry."

"No, that was a compliment," he smiled before he gave her another sweet peck on the lips, though this lasted shorter than the previous one. "I have to get back to work," he said almost apologetically.

"Anything I can help you with?" Aoi offered. There probably wasn't anything she could do for him at the moment, but she figured she could always try. She just didn't want to leave him right now.

He flashed her the smile she knew so well. "Why don't you work on that schedule for me? I believe you've have a lot of work ahead of you." She nodded, took her notebook and walked to the door. In the doorway, she turned around. Saryuu already sat in his office chair, but his eyes were still locked on her.

"Saryuu?"

"Hmm?"

"What... Are you... And I... Are we... You know..." She couldn't form a proper sentence, no matter how much she tried. His smile widened at her struggle.

"Just say what you feel, Aoi."

"...I love you."

"I love you too, for quite a while actually."

"Really?"

"I think I just gave you the answer to your third question."

"My third question?"

"Remember when you just got out of your cell? You asked me three questions and so far I answered two. Just now, I gave you the final answer." Aoi frowned as she tried to recall her exact question. It has been two months after all and she didn't think about them very often. It kind of surprised her that Saryuu had remembered them.

"Your exact words were, if I'm correct: "Why did you even let me live in the first place?" Well, this is my answer: because I love you, Sorano Aoi. I loved you from the first moment."

Aoi adverted his gaze. This was so un-Saryuu-like! Saryuu was usually the stern, reserved leader who never showed much of his feelings, apart from his irritations of course. To hear him proclaim so wholeheartedly that he loved her was weird to say the least. "Then you didn't fall in love with the prettiest sight that day. I must have looked terrible."

"Yes, you looked indeed terrible," Saryuu agreed. Aoi sent him a look to which he shrugged and jokingly replied: "Hey, I'm telling the truth. If you want a boy that drowns you in complements and poetry, you should go to Giris."

"Meh, I think I'll stick with you, I like you better." Before he could reply, she closed the door and walked away. Her heartbeat slowly decreased to a normal pace. She couldn't believe what happened... She pinched her arm to check if she wasn't dreaming. Fortunately, she wasn't.

The smile that threatened to cut her face in half was still there when Aoi entered her bedroom. She was confronted with an impatient Meia, who already wore her soccer uniform. "Where were you, didn't I tell you that Giru would have extra practice today? Saru said that there's something big coming up," the purple haired girl scolded Aoi. The latter just took the stuff she needed without a word of protest and followed her roommate to the soccer pitch.

Yes, not even the scolding and lecturing could get this smile off her face.

* * *

><p><strong>Me: Aww, ain't this a sweet couple? I'm not really experienced with writing these fluff-chapters, so I would love to get a review with what you think, okay? Thanks!^^<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Me: Yaah, one last chapter before I go to London! Ghehe, how many times have I said that already? Meh, I'm probably gonna say it again. Anyways, here is the tenth chapter for Captor of my Heart. I must admit that after last chapter, I was kind of drained, but now I got a whole new idea for the following chapters, so stay tuned.**

**Just so you know, I had to type this during packing and stuff, so it might be a bit rushed. Also, Zan's and Garu's captain are Garo and Yuuchi respectively. Fei is still in Raimon and Zanark is... I dunno, maybe he can't control his power yet or something... Anyways, that'll change later, because I like to stick to the anime a little. Soowww...**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anyone or anything, except the laptop that I use to write this and... well, pretty much everything else in my room. Anyways, I'm getting off topic: PLEASE ENJOY!**

* * *

><p>The news of their newfound relationship spread like wildfire, even though neither Aoi nor Saryuu showed much of it in public. It was Meia who noticed the dreamy glance in her roommate's eyes and questioned her about it. She quickly found out that Aoi had feelings for Saryuu and came up with all kinds of plans for Aoi to confess.<p>

Aoi smiled when she thought about the conversation.

_"Kyaa! I knew it, you like Saru!" _

_"Ssh, not so loud!"_

_"See? You're not denying it~"_

_"Meia..."  
><em>

_"I've got it! You should confess to him."  
><em>

_"But-"_

_"No, no buts! You need to confess to him, pronto."_

_"But I-I-"_

_"I know it seems scary, but you'll feel better afterwards, I promise."_

_"Meia, please list-"_

_"Don't worry, Aoi-chan, you're pretty and sweet and kind... Saru often looks at you, I believe. And he only allows you to call him Saryuu, right? I'm sure he likes you too. Now shush, I'll need to come up with the perfect setting for your confession._

_"Meia, could you please be quiet for one tiny seco-"_

_"I know, you could do it on the practice grounds! He likes soccer after all, so that's the perfect setting! The next time he drops by to watch over our practise, I'll get Giru out of there so you two have privacy~ You should start thinking of what you want to say."_

_"That won't be necessary."_

_"Oh? You're gonna improvise? Are you sure?"_

_"Meia. It won't be necessary, because I confessed to him yesterday."_

After that, Meia had squealed and demanded for details. Aoi had to tell things over and over again and Meia continuously commented on the situation. When it was finally time for them to go to bed, Aoi had a sore throat. Her smile widened at the memory of that evening, two days ago.

"Why are you smiling so brightly?" Saryuu whispered in her ear and she shivered a bit. They currently laid on the couch in Saryuu's office and his arms were around her belly. She shifted in his hold so that she could look at his face that was so close to her own. But she didn't feel uncomfortable by that anymore. Now that Saryuu accepted and returned her feelings three days ago, all she wanted was being this close to him.

"I thought about Meia when she found out about us."

Saryuu chuckled, but then he frowned. "You mean to say that it wasn't me who made you smile like that?"

"Maybe," Aoi responded playfully.

"Hmm, I can't have you think about other people when you're with me, now can I? You deserve a punishment for that," Saryuu responded as he captured her lips. Aoi happily returned the kiss and she smiled when they broke it.

"If that's my punishment, I might misbehave again." She stuck out her tongue when Saryuu laughed at her words. He leaned in once again, but just as their lips were about to touch, a high-pitched beep ruined their moment. Saryuu scowled, but got up nonetheless. Aoi felt a bit sad when she didn't feel his arms around her anymore, but she got up as well and followed him to his desk. Saryuu sat down in his desk chair and opened one of his laptops. There was some sort of film on the screen and it took Aoi just a few seconds to realize that the people were playing soccer. The match they played had just started. She didn't recognise the area where they played, but she saw... was that a dinosaur?! "Saryuu... What is this?"

"_This_," he said, emphasizing the word, "is what will help Feida obtain control over the world. The match that you are looking at right now is live and at the same time, it isn't. It happened millions of years ago, in the time where dinosaurs still existed, yet we don't know the outcome of the match. The team with the emotionless faces is El Dorado's strongest team, Perfect Cascade. Its members are robots, or androids... Call them as you like. The other team is Raimon from two hundred years ago. They are fighting for our cause, even though they don't know that yet."

"How did you get this footage?"

"We hacked El Dorado's main computer, so we can see everything they can see and we can intercept their messages."

"I see." They both watched in silence for a little while, until Aoi noticed something. "Hey, that boy really looks like you, don't you think?" The boy had brown hair and metallic blue eyes. His appearance was different from Saryuu's, but there was something about him that was really similar. After taking a closer look, Aoi concluded that the similarity laid in facial features.

"Yeah, I believe you're right... Say Aoi, could you gather Yuuchi, Meia and Garo for me?"

"Huh? Eh, sure." She left the room with a strange feeling. Saryuu's attitude suddenly changed. That look in his eyes sent shivers down her spine. He looked so cold and hateful when he spoke about El Dorado... She already knew that they were the enemy, but to think that Saryuu despised them to that extend! But not only did he act cold during the video, he was like a totally different person. She found it hard to comprehend that this was the same boy who held her so lovingly before.

She found Meia quickly, because she knew that the purple haired girl was in their room when there was no practice for Giru. Right now, it was Zan's turn to use the practice grounds, so Aoi figured that Meia would be in the bedroom. Her guess was right. When she entered, Meia was laying on her bed and read a book. Her green eyes shifted over the cover and she put the book aside when she saw her roommate.

"Aoi, what are you doing here? I thought you were with Saru~"

"He asked me to call you, along with Garo and Yuuchi. He said he that it was important." Meia's teasing face immediately disappeared at the mention of Feida's emperor. She just nodded, stood up, fixed her clothes and followed Aoi. Meia went to the practice grounds to call Garo while Aoi wandered through the boy's sleeping section of the building. Since Yuuchi didn't have any practice either, she figured he was probably in his room as well. Now if she could only remember where that was... She hadn't had much contact with Yuuchi so far and she didn't know that much about him. She knocked on a random door and it turned out to be Yuuchi's room. She told him the same thing that she told Meia and he responded by nodding and following her to Saryuu's office. Aoi saw that Garo and Meia were already waiting for them in front of the white door.

Saryuu came immediately to the point after they entered. "It's time." Aoi didn't know what he was talking about, but the others seemed to understand. "Perfect Cascade is occupied with Raimon right now, so this is the perfect moment for a little chitchat with El Dorado's Chairman," he smiled. "Assemble your teams and meet me in ten minutes at the entrance. Meia, please bring the guns you designed."

"Saryuu," Aoi whispered when the others left the room.

"Hmm?" Saryuu turned around to face her, but he was shocked when he saw the expression on her face. "Aoi, what's the matter?"

"Saryuu, are you really going to El Dorado?" When he nodded, she continued. "But that's dangerous! What if they capture you? What if..."

"Don't worry, Aoi, I planned this encounter carefully. Everything will be alright. I want you to stay here and keep an eye on Perfect Cascade. Signal me immediately when they come back, okay?"

"Alright, but please be careful," she said after a few seconds. She knew that she wouldn't be able to change his mind. He pulled her in a hug and rubbed her back.

"I will."

They slowly walked towards the entrance while his gloved hand embraced hers. It felt safe, warm... Aoi liked the feeling. When they came outside, they saw that everybody was already waiting for them. No one seemed to notice the fact that they held hands, but both Aoi and Saryuu knew better. Everyone noticed it, they were just discrete enough to act like there was nothing wrong and give the couple a little privacy.

However, much to Aoi's discontent, Saryuu let go of her hand and stepped in front of the crowd. In a short speech, he explained the goal of their mission and divided the tasks. Most of the members would attack El Dorado's offices and other buildings with the aura guns and cause panic in the city. Saryuu himself, along with the captains of Zan, Garu and Giru, would attack their main base - Saint Elda - to have 'a little chitchat' with Chairman Toudou Heikichi.

"Before you depart, there is someone I want you to meet," Saryuu said and he immediately had everyone's attention. "You can show yourself now."

At first, nothing seemed to happen, but after a few seconds, a person appeared. He was dressed in a white robe that covered the entire body and he held a walking stick in his right hand. He didn't say a word, but Aoi knew that it was a man, because the figure had a large white beard. He didn't say anything, he just stood there, watching at them with eyes that were hidden in the shadow of his robe.

Saryuu went to stand next to him and introduced him. "This person has helped me to gain access to El Dorado's computer and he has done several other things for Feida. He goes by the name of 'Helper X', and he will accompany us today as well. I trust you to respect him."

Everyone lowered their heads in acknowledgement and the mysterious Helper X did the same, although he still didn't say a word. Aoi eyed him for a while from the back of the crowd. There was something odd about that man - seriously, what wasn't odd about him? - but she couldn't put her finger on it. Suddenly, Helper X raised his head and seemed to look straight at her. She couldn't see his eyes at all, but it still sent a shiver down her spine. _Why am I feeling like this?_ she thought. _He's an ally, right? Saryuu trusts him, so I should trust him too._

She watched as the last Second Stage Children left the clearing around Feida's secret base before she went inside again. She headed straight for Saryuu's office and settled herself with her notebook in his desk chair. She could do some work to pass the time as she watched over Raimon's and Perfect Cascade's match, right?

For a while, nothing happened, but then she heard a voice that clearly spoke. "We are under attack, retreat!" There were rumbling noises of falling gravel in the background.

"What, they're there?" another voice replied.

"Yes, please come back immediately." When Aoi looked at the screen, she saw how Perfect Cascade disappeared. _They must be heading back, I should warn Saryuu. _Without second thoughts, she pushed a little button on the beeper on Saryuu's desk. Three short beeps, followed by a pause and two longer beeps. That was the signal they had agreed upon.

When she had finished the message, Aoi shifted her attention to the laptop once again. The Raimon team looked around in confusion, but she wasn't interested in them. She wanted to know what was happening in Saint Elda at the moment. But since the connection between Saint Elda and Perfect Cascade's coach had been cut, she didn't have the slightest idea what was happening right now.

She laid her head on Saryuu's desk and covered it with her arms. She wasn't praying, but she didn't know what she _was _doing. She just closed her eyes and muttered the same thing over and over.

"Please let him be okay."

* * *

><p><strong>And that's it, minna! I'd love to hear what you think about it. I'm probably not updating for a week, because I have to do many assignments and stuff in London... But I just didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to you. So GOODBYE! Please leave a review.<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

"Well? How did it go?" Aoi asked when Saryuu finally returned. She stood up when the door opened further and Helper X followed the white-haired boy inside.

"Haha, it was perfect!" Saryuu laughed as he sat down on the couch. Aoi sat down beside him and she realized that this was the same couch they cuddled on this afternoon. She would have loved to continue where they broke off, but not with Helper X in the room. The said man stood a few feet away from them, still not saying a word. Saryuu didn't seem to notice him as he fully turned to Aoi. "They didn't stand a chance, Saint Elda fell within minutes."

"What did you do to them?" Aoi asked. She felt a little uncomfortable when Saryuu so casually spoke about killing or hurting people, for it reminded her of her first days in Feida. Back then, Saryuu talked like that about Aoi's family as well, and she actually thought that he was heartless. It turned out that she was greatly mistaken, but she still wasn't at ease with that way of talking.

"Nothing major," Saryuu smiled. He seemed to notice her unease, because he rubbed her back in a reassuring way. "I only pointed out their position and offered them a proposal."

"Proposal?"

"To coexist with them."

"And they believed that?"

"Not for a second." His smile widened. "I told them they would have a showdown with us in soccer. We will hold a tournament with three matches to determine who is better and who should get to live here."

"A soccer tournament?"

"Yes. It's called Ragnarok and it will be held in four days. Their three strongest teams will compete against Zan, Giru and Garu and the winner will be in charge from now on." His hand moved from her back to her cheek and he rubbed it with his thumb. "There is no way we can lose this. Feida's days of living in the shadows will soon be history!"

"You shouldn't underestimate them," Aoi scolded him.

He smiled cheekily and pulled her face closer. His voice was hinted with the amusement she knew so well. "Are you doubting me?"

"Not at all," Aoi smiled. "But still..."

She let her voice trail away as Saryuu locked their lips together. Aoi allowed her anxious feelings to be washed away by the comforting warmth of the kiss. Far in the distance was the sound of a closing door. It took her quite some time to realize that it must have been Helper X who left the room. Now they were finally alone and able to enjoy each other's company to the fullest extent.

But no matter how far Saryuu's kisses led her away from the harsh reality, the anxious feeling never left her. It stayed with her, twisting her intestines and nibbling on the happiness she felt this moment. Something was coming, she knew it.

Ragnarok would hold more obstacles than anyone would think.

.

The next day, she walked alongside Saryuu through the empty hallways. They had been in the middle of their kisses when they were interrupted by another beeping sound. That was the second time in a row! One more time and Aoi would toss all those machines out of the window! Saryuu had excused himself and made preparations for a jump through time. He told her that he would return with powerful allies before he disappeared. She knew that he traveled to the dimension where that team from Raimon was fighting against El Dorado. He would convince them to help Feida beat El Dorado, so that their three teams were more powerful than ever.

However, from the moment he returned, his expression had been tensed. He looked straight ahead and a frown marred his face. When he told her to follow him to the other members of Feida, his voice had slightly trembled with withheld frustration. She didn't need to be a psychic to know that things hadn't gone according to his plan. What went wrong? Did Saryuu fail to convince Raimon? Aoi didn't understand how that was possible. Saryuu could be very convincing if he wanted to.

She glanced to her side to look at Saryuu's expression. It was still blank, just like before, but he seemed less tense. It was as if being back at Feida had a relaxing influence on him, as if it allowed him to take a step back and observe everything through the eyes of a leader.

Two voices penetrated her, though they were too muffled by the walls to make out the words. The closer she and Saryuu came, the louder the voices got. She was soon able to determine whose voices it were: Meia and Garo.

"Don't underestimate me!" Garo shouted, which was followed by some noises and rumble. "What's the matter, goody-two-shoes? You call that aiming?"

Flashes of blue and purple light were visible in the slit under the door. Aoi looked at her companion to fathom his reaction. Saryuu had a zero-tolerance for violence within Feida's walls and the argument inside sounded pretty violent to her. But much to her surprise, Saryuu didn't look angry at all. He merely closed his eyes and smiled to himself. "Really, those two will never learn, will they?" he muttered, before he calmly opened the door. Aoi was one foot behind him and looked around the room.

"It's not happening this time," Garo said threatingly to Meia. His back was facing Saryuu and neither he, nor Meia, nor anyone else in the room noticed Saryuu's entrance. "I'll send that deadpan expression of yours flying!" With those words, he charged towards Meia, who readied herself for his attack. Both were clashing their powers against each other, trying to make the other back away.

However, the argument immediately died down when Saryuu spoke up. "What's this? Are you two arguing again?" His tone was casual, almost amused, like these people didn't just break the rules. "Garo, Meia."

Both youths tensed up at the mention of their name. "This isn't what it looks like, Saru. There's a reason..." Garo tried to save what he could, but he quickly shut up when Saryuu sent him a glare. "I'm sorry, it's my fault."

"As long as you know it," Saryuu smiled and Aoi felt the friendly bond that connected everyone in this room. Yes, they may be fighting sometimes, but they are all great friends of each other. No matter how different, they all had something in common.

"So? What's happening at El Dorado?" Meia asked. Saryuu's expression darkened a bit.

"They've joined forces with Raimon."

"What?" The comment came from the latest addition to Feida: Zanark Avalonic. For as far as Aoi knew, he was pretty agressive and he could be quite sadistic too. Zanark had been a criminal who broke out of El Dorado's re-education facility, MUGEN Prison. Now he was a member of Feida, and he immediately became captain of Zan. Garo didn't seem as pissed off by that as Aoi had expected from him. It seemed like as long Garo was able to destroy and act violently, he was content.

But that Zanark was different. Sure, he liked to show off his power as well, but he was more like the quiet type when he was off the field. Both Aoi and Saryuu turned their heads towards him when he spoke up, but Saryuu soon faced the others again. Aoi stared at Zanark for a little longer, though. _Isn't it his job as a captain to prevent these kind of situations?_ she thought. But the matter was forgotten when Saryuu continued speaking.

"El Dorado and Raimon have consolitated to fight in Ragnarok," he said. "Not that doing so will beat us anyway." He showed his confident smirk during those last words, but Aoi was the only one who noticed that a little muscle in his neck twitched. _Saryuu is acting more relaxed than he actually is so that the others won't lose confidence or anything. __He is a true leader._

Aoi smiled. Even though she knew that he pulled up a façade, she couldn't help but feel positive about the future. She followed him outside when he left and when she was sure that no one could hear them, she said: "Saryuu, what went wrong?"

"Hmm?"

"Raimon were the allies that you had in mind, right? Didn't they listen to you?"

"El Dorado took them before I could have a proper conversation with them." His tone was flat, but he still seemed energetic to her.

"And they were still willing to fight alongside El Dorado?" Aoi exclaimed. "But if they are powerful enough to be Feida's allies, won't it be a hard fight for us as well?" She clasped her hands before her mouth when she realized that she had spoken very loudly. Saryuu merely smiled at her.

"Don't worry, Aoi. I've got more tricks up my sleeve."

"More tricks... Like what?"

He chuckled. "Wouldn't it spoil the surprise if I tell it now?" Aoi pouted and Saryuu let out another laugh as he approached her. "Now now, don't act so cute or I might not be able to hold myself back." He leaned in for a kiss, but Aoi leaned back and dodged him. Saryuu shot her a surprised glance, for this was the first time she did this.

"What tricks?" Aoi asked again. "No sugar before you told me that."

"You're stubborn as ever, Aoi," he smiled. "The first thing we do is leave them alone for a few days. The day after tomorrow, one day before Ragnarok starts, we'll pay them a visit again." He leaned in again and this time, Aoi didn't protest.

"Just a friendly visit?" she hummed innocently against his lips and she felt him smirk in the kiss. She knew the answer already, but for now, it didn't bother her as much.

"It might not be all that friendly," Saryuu admitted.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for not updating for so long. I've been neglecting this story, haven't I? Well, not much happened in this chapter, but I have something planned for when Ragnarok starts, so please stay tuned. You may have noticed that I kind of stick to the anime with this fic (Saryuu and others went to Saint Elda in the previous chapter, which happened in episode 34 and there are more things like that). I use the anime as a backup and some conversations are literally taken from the episodes.<strong>

**I don't own Inazuma Eleven GO Chrono Stone and I probably never will. Please leave a review, because it's a real great support! BYE!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Me: I have nothing to do, so I continued this thing! ^^**

**I apologize for sticking so much to the anime (it must be dull to read sometimes, isn't it?), but I'm rather unsure about how to change things without making it an AU. So please bear with me for the moment.**

**The usual disclaimer applies.**

* * *

><p>Aoi walked once more alongside Saryuu. Neither of them talked when they walked through the empty corridors. The walls weren't painted in warm shades of yellow, like the walls at Feida. These walls were cold, dark and gray. Aoi thought they gave the whole building a sinister image, but she didn't comment on it. After all, the one who designed it all was right beside her.<p>

The previous afternoon, Saryuu had ordered every member of Feida to line up outside. They armed themselves with their guns and went to 'visit' El Dorado again. The 'not-so-friendly visit' that Saryuu talked about a few days ago meant that they would destroy El Dorado and build the Ragnarok Stadium with the gravel. Right now, they were walking the corridors of the Ragnarok Stadium. The idea that their enemies were just a few hallways away from them was quite uncomfortable to Aoi, but she drew strength from Saryuu's calm.

Saryuu opened a door that led to a balcony and Aoi followed him a bit hesitant. The stadium was packed with a huge crowd, and everyone was shouting the same words over and over. "El Dorado! El Dorado! El Dorado!" She could feel how the sound rumbled through the entire stadium. Even the floor of the balcony was slightly trembling at the beat of the words.

A commentator was shouting into a mic to make himself heard over the enormous crowd. "The soccer tournament to decide who will rule the world, Ragnarok, is ready to begin!"

_"Are you nervous?" _she heard in her head. When she turned to Saryuu, she saw that his eyes were glowing again. He didn't do this all that often anymore, but she understand he used his powers now to be heard over the crowd.

She put her thoughts into words, because she knew he would understand it. She told him that she was indeed very nervous, because everyone was against them. They had no support from the crowd, whatsoever. _It's just like a duel between two knights, _she thought. _The no one will cheer for the smaller knight because they think he is too weak and will never win._

_"A duel between two knights, eh?"_ Saryuu chuckled in her head and when his eyes stopped glowing, he smirked at her before he walked to the edge of the balcony. Aoi stayed in the back, where no one would see her. She didn't feel like being stared at by millions of people.

She saw how Saryuu raised his hand and the sky darkened. A holographic clip started to play above the field, showing a big and a small knight. Both swordsmen charged at each other and after the small one dodged the big knight's attack, he stabbed his sword in the big knight's chest. The crowed roared like wild animals at the fight above and Saryuu turned around to send her a smile.

"That's what the small knight will do," he smiled. "And the crowd immediately starts cheering for him."

He winked and Aoi laughed softly. "Baka."

Saryuu turned back to the field and laughed at the shocked faces of the opposing teams. "The crowd is getting so excited. What carefree people." With a snap of his fingers, fireworks exploded near the stadium. Aoi rolled her eyes and beckoned him to come back.

"You've had your fun. Now we need to go back to our survey room, remember?" She held out her hand, which Saryuu took after a few moments. Together, they walked back to their side of the stadium. Their hands were still entangled as they stepped inside the transport cabin, which teleported them into the survey room.

Saryuu walked to the glass and shot a glance at the teams below. "Now, let's begin... The final battle to decide the fate of mankind... Ragnarok!" He sat down in his chair and Aoi sat down on the chair on his left. There was another chair on his right, but it wasn't taken. Just as Aoi wondered for who it would be, someone was teleported into the room.

It was Helper X.

Without saying a word, he sat down on the other chair. Aoi tried to focus on the happenings on the field, but her eyes were constantly drawn towards the old man. Who was he exactly? And why did she get that feeling around him? Maybe it was because he never spoke. That certainly added up to the mystery that surrounded him.

The match started with El Dorado Team 01's kick off and the two forwards immediately miximaxed. They dived into Zan's territory at full speed, passing the ball to avoid the players. But much to Aoi's surprise, neither Zanark nor any other member of Zan moved. They just stood there like statues and allowed El Dorado Team 01's forward not one, not two, but three clear chances to shoot. Luckily, Zan's keeper didn't have any trouble to stop them. After he stopped the third, he threw the ball back... to El Dorado Team 01's forward!

"What are they doing?" Aoi voiced her thoughts.

"This is clearly one of Garo's ideas," Saryuu answered with his eyes glued to the field. "Their brutality really is a bother. I understand it's to crush the opponent, but still..."

When Aoi turned her eyes back to the field, she saw what Saryuu meant. The forward that got the ball was now lying on the ground, clutching onto his leg. His teammates surrounded him and they all wore worried expressions. He slowly stood up, pain written all over his face.

"The injured Tsurugi chooses to continue playing!" the commentator shouted. "But he can hardly stand. It doesn't look like he'll be very active!"

"That was cowardly and low of Zan," Aoi snorted.

"Don't worry," Saryuu said and he squeezed her knee for a moment. "Garo knows that I don't approve of this and I doubt he'll do it again."

"I hope you're right. This feels just wrong," she muttered.

It didn't go exactly like Saryuu said. Zan still played dirty, but the casualties on the opponent's side were limited because they covered for each other. Aoi decided to keep quiet about her unease about Zan's play style, because she didn't want Saryuu to think of her as a bore.

Her attention was directed to a player of El Dorado Team 01. His mint green hair and light blue eyes seemed somewhat familiar. But where had she seen him before? She dug in her memory. _Where... Just where..._ And then it hit her. She saw him on that very first day, when her house was attacked and her family... After that, she remembered that she suddenly got a terrible head ache, caused by a boy with mint green hair.

The same boy with mint green hair that was now playing for El Dorado. But if he was with Saryuu before, then why was he with the enemy now? The boy received the ball for the first time in the match and immediately got through a few of Zan's defenders.

"Saryuu." Only saying his name was enough for now, for she knew his eyes were on the boy as well.

"Don't worry, I told you I had a few more tricks up my sleeves, right?"

Helper X shifted uneasily upon hearing these words. The movement drew Aoi's attention because it was the first time he moved since the start of the match. She sighed and watched again. She knew Saryuu wouldn't tell her, no matter how much she pleaded. She could better watch to see what he meant.

It happened after Zan scored their third point. Saryuu stood up without saying a word and walked to the balcony around Feida's survey room. He watched how El Dorado Team 01 kicked off before he directed his palm at one of the players. It was the boy with the mint green hair, the boy Aoi had recognized before.

Saryuu's palm started to glow and suddenly, the boy stopped playing. His teammates gave him confused looks and Aoi wasn't sure what was happening either. He took a step back and placed his hands before his eyes.

"What's happened to Fei Rune?" the commentator yelled and Helper X shifted uneasily once again. Fei's teammates started yelling at him when suddenly, he shot the ball. He shot the ball towards the goal, but not towards Zan's goal. In fact, he turned around and made an own goal.

The first half ended shortly after that and Saryuu came back with a smug smile. "What did you do to him?" Aoi inquired.

"I returned his memories."

"What?"

"I took away his memories when I sent him back in time to save Raimon. That was why he fought with El Dorado at first. But now he's one of us again."

And indeed, when the second half started, El Dorado Team 01 consisted of merely ten members. The match ended with a score of 5-1, Zan's win.

* * *

><p>Saryuu went to the field to talk to Zanark, who didn't seem really happy despite Zan's win. Maybe he didn't like their style of playing? Then again, he was never really happy, so maybe she was just imagining it. She walked alongside Helper X towards Feida's meeting room. Of course, neither of them spoke and the silence was pretty awkward. Aoi wanted to ask him so much - who he was, why he was helping them - but she was a tad scared to do so.<p>

When the reached the survey room, they sat down on opposite sides of the table. Saryuu soon came in, along with Fei Rune. Fei's eyes widened a bit in surprise when he eyed Aoi and Helper X, but he didn't say anything. When he regained his composure, he walked past them and exited the room through another door, which led to Feida's private quarters. Aoi and Helper X followed the him with their eyes.

"What's wrong? Are you interested in Fei?" Saryuu asked as he sat down on the head of the table. At first, she thought that he was talking to her, but when she turned to face him, she saw that he looked at Helper X. "I've always been wondering... who are you? You came to us introducing yourself as Helper X and offering us your help. You're the only supporter of us who is an adult."

"That's right." Those two words were the first thing Aoi ever heard him say. Helper X's voice was quite low, but it didn't sound as old as the beard would suggest. She unconsciously leaned forward, eager to hear the man's answers.

Saryuu went on. "What's more, you must have been one of El Dorado's leaders. You tell us what goes on in El Dorado and give us all sorts of advice... That information can't be obtained unless you were working on the inside. Who in the world can you be?"

Much to Aoi's dismay, Helper X didn't answer. He didn't say his real name, nor did he lower his hood. Saryuu gave him a few second time, but when he realized that the adult wouldn't say anything, he went on in the same relaxed tone as before.

"If you don't want to say it, fine. But whatever you do, don't double-cross me. You know what will happen if you do." He let the threat hang in the air as he got up. "Come on, Aoi." She nodded and followed him out of the room, leaving Helper X on his own.

"Is he really alright?" she asked once no one could hear them. "You said it yourself, he must have been working for El Dorado. What if he's a spy or something?"

"That's surely a possibility. However, it's a risk that we must take. But I don't think he's all that dangerous for us, Aoi. After all, he helped us to attack Saint Elda and he told us countless other secrets of them. I think we can trust him."

"Alright then." If Saryuu trusted him, who was she to object?

Saryuu took a step towards her. "You don't sound really convinced." Another step.

"It's nothing. He's just very mysterious, so I don't really know what I have to expect from him..." She let her voice trail away when she realized how close he was to her. A little overwhelmed by this, she tried to take a step back but failed when she realized that her back was against the wall. Literally. She knew how much space there was between their bodies: six inches. Saryuu smiled sweetly and leaned in. Now it was less than six inches.

He placed his lips on her forehead, just under her bangs. She simply closed her eyes and enjoyed it, whatever 'it' was. It wasn't a kiss, or maybe it was. He didn't move and neither did she, he just stood there with his mouth pressed to her skin.

"Ahem."

Saryuu pulled back and calmly faced the person that tried to grab their attention. Aoi tried to do the same, but her face was really flustered after being caught in that position.

"Fei," Saryuu smiled. Fei stood a couple of feet away from them with an amused smirk on his face. He had changed his orange coat for a white shirt and an orange jacked, and his long dark pants for shorts of the same colour.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to disturb your little moment, but I wanted to discuss a few things with you."

"Alright. Now that I think of it, you are never introduced to each other, are you?"

Aoi shook her head and took the first step by extending her hand. "Fei Rune, right? Nice to meet you, I'm Sorano Aoi."

He shook her hand immediately and smiled kindly at her. "Nice to meet you too."

"Well, if you have business to discuss, I will leave you alone. I think I'll meet up with Meia and the others from Giru. After all, our match starts in a few hours. See you around, Fei, Saryuu." With a wave of her hand, she ran away to where Giru was waiting for her.

Four eyes, belonging to both youths, looked at her retrieving figure until she disappeared with help of a transport cabin.

Six eyes, if you counted the ones that were hidden in the shade of the hood of a cloak. These eyes kept staring at the place where she was last seen, even after Fei and Saryuu continued their discussion.

* * *

><p><strong>Me: Ooh~ Cliffhanger? I hope so!^^<strong>

**Next chapter will be about Giru's match with El Dorado Team 02. After that, I have a little thing planned for this story, so please stay tuned until then! Bye!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Me: Helloooooo! Here I am, bothering you with another chapter... I don't know what it is, I just feel like updating this story a lot. And it may also be an apology because I stick so much to the anime that it isn't really an exciting story anymore. To be honest, I think that it's quite rushed and that the Saryuu-Aoi moments are really short and fake-ish...**

**Oh yeah, one more thing: In the anime, Ragnarok consists of three matches that are held on separate days. However, in my story, the first three matches will be held on the same day, just a few hours past each other. That means that Zan's match was in the morning, Giru's match is around noon and Garu's match will be in the late afternoon, I guess... I thought that I'd point that out for you ^^**

**[Insert lame disclaimer]**

* * *

><p>Aoi got up from her seat when she heard the whistle. Unlike during the match with Zan, which happened a few hours ago, she didn't sit in the survey room with Saryuu. After all, she was Giru's manager, so she had to sit on the bench at the field.<p>

The first half just ended and Giru's team members came back to the bench. She had prepared their drinks before the match and handed each player a water bottle, which they gladly took from her. On the bench was a neat stack of towels, but since she was alone, she didn't have the chance yet to dole them out. Not that the players minded it. They either waited for her to give them one or took one by themselves.

"They don't look like much," Aoi said when she handed Meia a bottle.

"They aren't much either, so that perception is correct," the purple-haired girl replied smiling.

During the first half, Meia and Giris were able to score three goals without much effort. Their passing was as accurate as ever and the other team could barely steal the ball. Death Future, the shot that the two lovers were practicing when Aoi first watched over them, was more powerful than ever and they already used it twice to score a goal. The other goal was scored by Meia, who had used her Keshin shoot called Heart Rapier.

"Their team is a mess, so their plays are too," Giris said while readjusting his glasses. "Passing is love and shooting is beauty. Their plays aren't beautiful at all and they are simply blown away by our stunning plays."

"Zanark is giving us quite a hard time, though," Meia piped up. "Seriously, what is he thinking, suddenly joining the enemy like that." She pouted and Aoi laughed a bit.

"Still, he couldn't score up until now, so everything will be alright, won't it?"

"Of course," Giris nodded. "Certainly with their, er... substitute keeper, so to speak." He snickered and everyone joined in, including Aoi.

The third goal they scored seemed to have injured the keeper of El Dorado Team 02. It was so badly that he had to be carried away by people from the infirmary. El Dorado Team 02 had no substitute keeper at first, but then a robot entered the field. He was called Mecha Endou, and he would be the keeper for the rest of the match.

Aoi didn't think he looked all that spectacular, and neither did the others in Giru. They mostly saw it as a joke and laughed about this desperate attempt of El Dorado.

When the whistle sounded again, she sat back down on the bench and the others returned to the field. El Dorado Team 02 was still a mess, because the players argued with one another. Giru had no problem at all to steal the ball.

But then... Something changed. Suddenly, the gears of the opposing team started to lock together. Their passes connected and they performed a shoot that Aoi had never seen before. Shoot Command 24: Omega Attack. It was very powerful and completely overwhelmed their defence. She stared with open mouth at the score board, where the zero changed to a one. The enemy had finally made a goal.

They tried the same thing again, but Giru's defence quickly caught on and marked the players that were involved. However, out of nowhere, the captain miximaxed and scored the second goal. _There's only a one-point difference. If this keeps up..._ She didn't want to continue that thought._  
><em>

Meia and Giris got another chance to shoot, but that robot-keeper managed to block it. It didn't take long before El Dorado Team 02 made its third goal. Now they were tied.

Meia and Giris's amused expressions were long gone, they were dead serious now. Their showed their incredible passwork once again before they aimed for the goal. They shot three times at a row, and the keeper exploded after the second one. Aoi was certain that the last one would get in, but before she could even blink, Zanark blocked the course of the ball with his chest. He scored the goal right before the match ended.

Aoi leaned back, still unable to process all of this. Giru... lost?!

* * *

><p>"Sumimasen." She didn't dare to look him in the eye when she entered the meeting room. Instead, she looked at her feet while she kept her head low.<p>

"What are you apologizing for?" Saryuu smiled.

"For Giru's loss, of course." When she looked up, she saw that there was no one in the room except for Saryuu and herself.

"Don't let it get to you."

"But they-"

"The real fun is only starting."

"The real... fun? But what if we lose the next match? Then it'll be all over! Don't you feel at least a tiny bit anxious?" she exclaimed. He raised an eyebrow.

"Do you?" When she remained silent and adverted her eyes, Saryuu smiled to himself and got up. He placed his hands around her shoulder and rubbed her back in a reassuring way. With her hands pressed against his warm and steady torso, Aoi felt herself come at ease. "Don't worry, our victory in the next match is as good as certain," Saryuu breathed in her hair. She felt his warm breath tickle against her skin and closed her eyes to focus more on that experience.

"How are you so sure about that?"

"Fei won't let us down."

"Fei? Is he a member of Garu as well?" she inquired. It was the first time she heard something like that.

"He's the captain."

She pulled away from the hug, her eyes widened in shock. "C-captain?!" she blurted out. "But then... What about Yuuchi?"

"Yuuchi was the reserve captain, he took over when Fei left a few months ago. But now that Fei is back, Yuuchi has given up on his position." He kept silent for a few seconds and stared in her eyes. "Matsukaze Tenma is the captain of El Dorado Team 03. When Fei acts distant or hostile towards him, it will be shown in his plays. That's why we cannot lose the next match."

His smile was bright and confident enough to pull the corners of her own mouth up a little. Just a little, but to Saryuu, whose face was only inches apart from hers, it was clearly visible.

And they just stood there like that. His arms around her back, her hands pressed against his chest, both drowning in each other's eyes.

* * *

><p>As Aoi made her way through the empty hallways, a movement caught her eye. She turned to her right and saw the figure of Helper X disappearing just around the corner. "Huh? Helper X?" she muttered to herself. She looked back at the path she was supposed to take, the path that led towards the survey room. Garu's match was about to start and she would watch it with Saryuu from Feida's survey room.<p>

However, the mysteries that surrounded Helper X intrigued her and she kind of wanted to find out more about him. Why was he here right now and not with Saryuu in the survey room? Maybe Saryuu had given him some kind of order? But somewhere, she knew that that wasn't the case.

Her body seemed to live a life on its own as her feet slowly followed Helper X's path. When she turned around the corner, she saw him walking in the distance. With quick and quiet steps, she ran after him, praying to whatever supernatural being that could hear her that he wouldn't notice her.

She raised an eyebrow when she saw him turning right at the end of the hallway. What did Helper X have to do in El Dorado's part of the building? With a scowl that marred her face, she kept walking. Saryuu's words replayed in her mind. _"You must have been one of El Dorado's leaders." _Was Helper X really double-crossing Feida?

She turned around another corner, and gasped loudly when she saw Helper X standing in the middle of it, his face turned towards the wall. As quickly as her body allowed her, Aoi jumped back behind the corner, hoping he didn't notice her. She desperately tried to calm her racing heart down and tried not to breath to audible. _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I should have checked before I suddenly turned around the corner, _she mentally scolded herself.

For a few seconds, there was no sound from Helper X. But then she heard a few beeps and the sound of a door that slid open, followed by calm footsteps. When she looked again, Helper X had disappeared. Unsure what she should do next, hesitantly walked closer to where she last saw Helper X. He had stood in front of a door, which probably led to El Dorado's survey room.

From where she stood now, she could hear muffled voices, but she wasn't able to make out the words. Curiosity overwhelmed her and she pressed her ear against the door. She knew very well that she would be busted if anyone went out of the room right now, but she decided to take the risk. After all, the match between Garu and El Dorado Team 03 was about to start, so who would leave at this time?

She heard a faint, low voice, which held a lot of authoroty. Whoever it belonged to must be a leader of some kind. "The last match of Ragnarok is finally starting. After today, we will know who is destined to rule the world." Saryuu said those words a lot, recently, but this time they sounded different. Every time when Saryuu said it, his voice was filled with pride and confidence, but this man sounded rather anxious about the unsure future. "You have been with Feida for a long time, do you know any of its weaknesses?"

Aoi perked up. "What's this?" she muttered to herself.

"If we could just stop Saru... But we know practically nothing about him, except for his position and his objective," the voice continued. "Please, tell us his weaknesses so that we may save mankind."

"I don't know. If he finds out, Fei will..." the new voice trailed away, but Aoi didn't need to hear more to determine to whom it belonged. Helper X. What did Helper X want from Fei?

"We understand your predicament, but you must know that there are thousands of lives on the line. If the Second Stage Children obtain world domination..." The first voice trailed away before he changed the topic. "Saru needs your son, so I doubt he will destroy him. Fei is just like him, after all."

It took Aoi little time to add up the information. "Fei... is Helper X's son?" she whispered to herself.

In the meantime, the other voice continued. "And if we can use Saru's weak spots and force him to stop all this madness, then we save not only thousands of humans, but Fei as well..."

The silence lasted and lasted and it made her nervous. But when Helper X finally spoke up, she wished that he never broke the silence at all. Her heart grew colder when she processed his words:

"Saru's weakness is... Sorano Aoi." Aoi gasped and backed away from the door, but she was somehow still able to hear their words. "He's very protective about her. If you can get a hold of her..." _No, no, no, no, no, _was all she could think, but Helper X continued mercilessly, "then Saru will be putty in your hands."

Her heart skipped a beat when she realized what she had done. She thought it would be wise to check up on Helper X and find out his real motives, so that she could report them to Saryuu. But now it turned out that she only brought him in a dangerous position. She knew Saryuu well enough to predict his reactions if El Dorado did capture her.

Fearing more for Saryuu's safety than her own, she backed away from the door. Her eyes were glued to it and she feared that they would suddenly slid open. And then those people would see her. And then...

She bumped into someone, but before she could turn around and get away from him or her, the person forcefully grabbed her left wrist. With a swift movement, her arm was turned on her back and held up high. Pain shot through her left shoulder when she tried to squirm out of her captor's hold. The pained cry that she let out as a result from this was muffled by a hand that was pressed against her lips.

Her body was filled with adrenaline and her heart beat loudly, but as soon as she moved, her left shoulder would protest. She gritted her teeth against the palm. The swiftness and effectiveness of the movements of her captor showed that he had done this many times before.

_How am I going to get out of here?_

* * *

><p><strong>Me: Tadaaaa! What do you think? ^^<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**Me: Wow, this story is getting more popular, I believe. Thank you so much for all the sweet reviews, they really make me smile a lot!**

**Saryuu: It's a creepy thing to see, so please don't review anymore...**

**Me: Is my smile creepier than my glare? *glares at full force***

**Saryuu: *gulps* Ehehe, you know what? That smile isn't so bad, please leave lot's of reviews, minna! *runs away***

**Me: *chases after him with steam coming out of ears***

**Aoi: Att-chan doesn't own Inazuma Eleven.**

**Fei: Have fun reading!**

* * *

><p>"Ha~? Did no one ever tell you that it's not nice to eavesdrop on other people's conversations?" a high-pitched voice said. Aoi wondered to whom it belonged, but her unspoken question was answered when a girl stepped into her view.<p>

Her pinkish violet eyes matched really well with her light blue hair. It reached to her shoulders and was accompanied in a two buns on the top sides of her head. She wore a uniform like the one that El Dorado's peacekeepers wear. Aoi felt her heart sink when she recognised the girl as a player from El Dorado Team 02. They got her! What now?

"Alpha, I think you can remove your hand now. She won't scream," the girl turned to Aoi and her pinkish violet eyes darkened a little, "will you?" Aoi gulped and shook her head. Merely a second later, the hand was removed from her lips and she could breathe more comfortably. The other hand still kept a firm grip on her wrist, though.

Another boy walked into her view and studied her from head to toe. Aoi grew uncomfortable and squirmed under his gaze, but was reminded that she shouldn't when the hand pulled her arm higher and pain shot through her shoulder. The boy flicked his fingers through his snow-white hair and gave her a stern look. "Care to explain what you are doing here?" he asked.

He wore the same uniform as the girl and Aoi remembered him as well from the earlier match. If she recalled correctly, their names were old Greek letters.

Alpha, the one who held her wrist.

Beta, the blue-haired girl with the two faces.

Gamma, the boy who was still waiting for her to answer his question.

But what could she say? 'El Dorado's leaders want to capture me so that they can force Saryuu to give up Ragnarok'? They'd sell her out right away. "I-I... I..."

"You?" Gamma asked, but she didn't know what to answer.

"We're getting nowhere with this," Beta sighed and pouted.

"Agreed," a monotonous voice said from behind Aoi. It was Alpha's voice and she shuddered when she felt his breath against her skin. He pushed her forward, urging her to walk.

"H-hey! What are you doing?" she shrieked in panic.

Beta answered in Alpha's stead. "The chairman will get you to talk." Her childish smile changed into a devious smirk. Aoi's heart beat faster when she saw where they took her: the same room where Helper X was. The room where the people who wanted to capture her were. She started to struggle and bit her lips to ignore the pain. If she could just get loose... But Alpha was far to strong for her.

"There's no need for you to bother the chairman," she improvised. She planted her feet in the ground to keep Alpha from pushing her forward, but the soles of her shoes were slippery and he needed no effort to push her forward. "T-the match s-started, I need to get back. Let me go!"

"Negative."

Beta pushed her right palm against a sensor and the doors slid open. Alpha urged her forward again and soon, she stood in the middle of the room. It was the same survey room as Feida's only there were more people here. And all eyes were on her.

Aoi gulped and stopped struggling. Her heart pounded rapidly and she found herself paralyzed, unable to move. Their gazes were like that of a hawk, confident and cold. She tried to suppress her trembling and above all, she tried not to think about the consequences for her and Saryuu.

"Alpha, Beta, Gamma, what is this?" the man in the middle asked. His voice was low and she heard the authoroty in it. This was the man who talked to Helper X, who wanted to capture her and force Saryuu to give up.

"An eavesdropper from Feida, Master," Beta said in a sweet tone.

"We saw her when we walked past. She was too caught up in listening that she didn't even notice us," Gamma added. The men in the room uttered disapproving noises and Aoi lowered her head a bit in shame.

"To think Saru would go as low as to send spies to our side of the stadium," one of the men growled. "That boy has absolutely no sense of honor!"

"It's not his fault!" Her own voice surprised her, but she simply couldn't keep quiet when they defiled her lover's name like that. "I went here on my own, Saryuu didn't order me to do anything."

The room grew silent, but she didn't understand why. "Saryuu?" the man in the middle said. "Did you really say 'Saryuu'?" She wanted to hit her self, or, rather, take her previous words back. How could she be so foolish? The world knew him as Saru, only she used his real name.

"I, eh..." But what could she say? Whatever she said, they would either not believe her or she would make things even worse.

"So this is the child you talked about?" A grown-up man with mint green hair nodded to answer the question. His blue eyes blankly stared at her and he didn't need to talk for Aoi to understand who he was. It was Helper X. "So, you are Sorano Aoi?"

She didn't look at him when she muttered: "Yes, I am."

"I see. My name is Toudou Heikichi, I am the chairman of El Dorado." He paused as if he expected her to respond to that, but Aoi kept quiet. She didn't want to say anything, and neither did she know what she should say. 'Hello, nice to meet you. Good luck with destroying my newfound home and my love?' The words sounded bitter, even if she didn't say them out loud.

"The match has started, I have to get back to Saru," the green-haired adult said as he pulled his hood so that his face was covered in shadows again. He stuck the fake beard back to his face and made his way to the door. Aoi wanted to yell at him that he should leave Saryuu alone, but she took a deep breath instead. She needed to remain calm. If she lost her temper now, she would only make things worse for herself and for Saryuu.

"Alpha, please release the girl," Toudou said.

"Affirmative." And finally the grip on her arm was released. Aoi took a few steps away from him, now that she was finally able to see him clearly. He was tall - taller than she was - and he had violet hair, pointy ears and emotionless gray eyes. _Those eyes match with his voice,_ she thought bitterly before she turned back to Toudou.

"Alright, you three are dismissed."

"Hai, Master," they replied in unison and walked out of the room. Aoi looked after them with a furtive glance. Would she be able to make it to the doors before they closed? And if she did, would she be able to get past them? Probably not.

"Someone, please prepare a seat for this child," Toudou ordered.

Aoi straightened her back and said as firmly as she could: "That won't be neccessary, because I will be heading back to Feida's side of the building. The match has started." That was true. If she looked out of the window, she could see the players running around the field. But she didn't look outside; she just kept staring at Toudou's face.

"Of course you will," Toudou smiled. "But first we will have a little talk." They kept staring at each other for a little while, but Aoi had to give in eventually. She might not be physically held anymore, but she wasn't free to go either. Sighing, she sat down and folded her arms. The message she gave off was clear: _no matter what you say, you won't change my mind on anything._

"Well then, Sorano-san," Toudou started. "I want you to help us."

"I refuse," was her direct answer.

"Do you know the purpose of Ragnarok?"

"I do."

"Then you must know that whoever wins this final match, will rule the world."

"Indeed."

"And you know what the Second Stage Children will do when they win?"

"Yes, the average human race will be wiped out in time." She managed to say those words without a shaking voice, though she felt bad inside. That was the part that she didn't like about Saryuu's plan. No matter how it was voiced, it always sounded really cruel to her.

"Indeed. Do you understand what that means? Thousands of innocent people will die because Saru craves power."

"Like you are any better," Aoi hissed, suddenly angry. Yes, Saryuu's plan wasn't perfect, but El Dorado had done some pretty bad things too. "You want to get rid of the Second Stage Children just as badly. You even traveled through time to keep them from being born."

"Our plans have changed."

"Give me a break!"

"It's true, we do not intend to kill them or lock them up after Ragnarok is finished."

Aoi lowered her voice for a bit after she heard this. "Then... What do you intend to do with them?"

* * *

><p>Saryuu had a scowl on his face ever since the match started. It wasn't because Garu was playing bad, although they messed up at the start of the second half. That troublesome guy, Zanark, had showed up and was now assisting El Dorado again. With his help, El Dorado Team 03 had completely caught up with Garu. Both teams were now tied, each having two points.<p>

But that undesirable result wasn't why Feida's emperor was angry. As the leader, it was his job and responsibility to overlook the matches and to constantly be one step ahead of El Dorado's chairman, but right now he found it hard to focus.

That was because Aoi wasn't here. Don't be fooled, he was able to function perfectly fine without her around, but now... She would be here and watch over the match together with him and Helper X, yet she never showed up. He knew that Aoi wasn't the type to do stupid things, but he suspected that something bad happened to her. For as long as he knew her, she acknowledged him as leader and listened to him. If she wasn't here, even when he asked her to... Was she in trouble?

As he watched how Yuuchi and Deck made the kick off, he got an idea. He wasn't strong enough - yet - to project his thoughts on people's minds or read their thoughts when the distance between them was too great, but he was able to detect other people's minds. He knew what Aoi's aura was like, so he could try to detect her.

He closed his eyes and focussed. In his mind, he wandered through the empty halls of the stadium. There was not a living soul, but that wasn't so surprising. After all, the final match to determine the fate of mankind was going on. Everyone within a fifty-kilometre-radius would be willing to watch that. He let his thoughts spread out, trying to find that one aura that he knew so well.

The search tired him, but he didn't give up. He had to find her, he had to! And then, suddenly, he found her. But his heart skipped a beat when he found out where she was. She was in El Dorado's survey room. What was she doing there? Could she be... betraying Feida... Could she be betraying him?

No, that couldn't be it. He loved her, and she loved him. He saw it every time he looked into those beautiful eyes of her. Then why would she be on the enemy's side? He could only think of one other explanation:

She was there against her will. El Dorado held her captive!

Saryuu clenched his teeth and all the energy he had outstreched came back to his body. He tensed up under the impact, but didn't pay attention to it. El Dorado had Aoi. What should he do now?

They probably wanted to use her against him. But how did they know about their relationship? That information was strictly kept between Feida's walls up until now. Was there a double-crosser in their midst?

But Saryuu shrugged those thoughts off. He would handle that later. Right now, his main issue was to bring Aoi back to his side. But how? _You broke your word, Toudou Heikichi,_ he thought and he sent a glare in the distance, hoping that the chairman would somehow be able to feel it. _Both sides agreed upon leaving each other alone outside the field._

His eyes wandered around the field below and were eventually locked upon a certain boy. His mint green hair waved in the wind that was caused by his high speed. His blue eyes were locked on the ball as he tried to steal it from Tenma with use of a sliding. Tenma dodged him and moved up, but Fei immediately chased after the brunette.

_Well, if you broke your word, I guess I don't have to keep mine either._

Saryuu smirked wickedly and his eyes started to glow. He knew this, because he saw two small purple circles that were reflected in the window. His gaze never left Garu's captain, who struggled to keep up with Tenma.

_"Fei."_

Only one word, whispered inside his mind, but he knew that the other teen heard him. Fei stopped running and turned towards Feida's survey room with a shocked expression on his face. He stood there like a statue, not caring at all about the other people on the field. Saryuu leaned with his chin on his left hand and smiled calm a calm smile.

_"It's time to move on to the next stage. Fei, I want you to prove to me wether you really have come back to us or not."_

* * *

><p><strong>Me: Aaaaand that's it for this chapter! As you can see, this explains why Saryuu broke his word in the anime ;)<strong>

**Fei: Review please? ^^**


	15. Chapter 15

**Me: The fifteenth chapter already! ^^**

**A/N: I know the time frame isn't right, but just pretend Aoi asked that final question during the second half. She has been in El Dorado's room from the beginning of the match. Sorry that the content of their conversation wasn't enough to fill that time frame, but just pretend it was, okay? ^^**

* * *

><p>The air became tense after she asked her last question and the people of El Dorado seemed hesitant to answer. This only made her more suspicious. "<em>What<em> do you intend to do with them?" she asked again, pronouncing the words through her teeth.

"As I said before, we don't want to kill them," Toudou reassured. "In fact, we want to-"

He got cut off by numerous screams from the field below. As if it was planned out, everyone in the room shifted his or her eyes to the soccer field, only to gasp at the sight. Namely, ten of the eleven players from El Dorado Team 03 were laying on the ground, clutching onto their heads as if they were in great pain. Garu's members seemed unaffected by whatever was bothering the other players.

"Are they using their powers?" a man asked. Aoi recognized him as El Dorado Team 02's captain, Sakamaki Togurou. He turned to the chairman, shock written over his face. "Toudou, this is an outright violation of the rules. Deciding this through soccer is what _they _wanted! Didn't they forbid the use of their special powers themselves?"

When Aoi turned her gaze from Sakamaki's face to Toudou, she was shocked upon seeing the hateful expression. Toudou's forehead, usually already wrinkled, was reformed into a deep scowl that changed his face into some angry mask. His teeth were bared, like an animal that was about to attack, and the glare in his eyes was directed at the survey room on the other side of the stadium. Feida's survey room. The room where Saryuu was. El Dorado's chairman seemed to have no doubt at all as to who caused the scene below.

"As we thought," he growled. "The Second Stage Children only bring harm to mankind. They're outsiders who must perish!"

"I see." Though her voice wasn't raised or loud, she managed to make the room completely silent. All eyes were on her, yet her eyes rested on only one person. Her voice was calm as she stood up from her chair and made her way towards him. "Bravo to you, chairman, you really had me going there. I really believed you spoke truthfully when you said you wouldn't kill the Second Stage Children. I was lucky that a thing like this happened, so that I could see your true objective."

"Lucky?!" one of the men exclaimed. "These children are in pain because of the Second Stage Children!"

"Their pain is unfortunate," Aoi said, not adverting her eyes from Toudou, "but the bright side is that it did help me get things straight. You humans are the bump in the road to our brighter tomorrow. You can't stand the fact that you are not the strongest anymore and you use cowardly methods to fight against nature. Nature has always been about 'survival of the fittest'. The strongest, most suited creatures survive, while the less-suited creatures extinguish. It has never been a problem to you, until you weren't the most suited ones anymore! But let me tell you this: no matter what selfish actions you take, you won't get rid of us!"

During her rant, her voice had raised in volume until she shouted those last words. The silence that followed was nearly overwhelming.

"U-us?" someone stuttered eventually. "You are no Second Stage Child, Sorano, you are a normal human. Are you really betraying your own kind for those lying, filthy, evil-"

"Enough!" The order came from a surprising angle, namely Toudou Heikichi. His gaze softened when he turned back to Aoi and gestured her to sit down again. His voice was also softer when he spoke again. "Sorano-san, I'm sorry for your loss."

"My... loss?" _What's this, all of a sudden?_ she thought.

"Your mother and your brother of course, who died in an attack a few months ago. You went missing after that day, yet we searched for you for many weeks afterwards. It was as if you had vanished into thin air and many of your friends and relatives gave up on you. I'm sure they must be glad to hear that you are still very much alive."

Memories started to flow through her head, whether she wanted it or not. Memories she had tried to suppress, memories she had almost forgotten. Her friends in school, who always helped her with her homework. Her friends from the tennis court, with whom she had so much fun. Her uncles and aunts, who always gave her beautiful presents when they visited.

Her mother, who worked so hard for Aoi's and Yukou's sake. Her brother Yukou, who was still so young. _They didn't deserve to die that day, why did it happen?!_ She didn't want to think about this, yet she couldn't stop. She had bottled up her memories and her feelings of that day for so long, and now it all broke free. _Mom, Yukou..._

A tear escaped her eye, though she immediately wiped it away. She would not cry in front of these men! But the tears kept coming and coming, and soon she just let them stream down her cheeks. She was offered a white handkerchief, which she reluctantly took.

"Saru was there too, right? At the attack, I mean," Toudou continued and Aoi glared at him through her tears.

"I know what you're trying to do, but it won't work! I won't-"

"Just answer the question, please, Sorano-san."

"H-hai, he was there," she admitted while looking at her knees.

"What more do you remember from that day?"

"S-Saryuu was there, with others," she stammered as the scene began to replay in her head. She saw the same things that she had seen that day, though some parts were a bit blurry. "I had tennis practice, but I went back home because I forgot my racket." At the time, her greatest worry had been that she would be the laughing-stock of the tennis court again. What a difference with her current situation. "When I reached my home, a group of... ch-children stood there. One of them pointed a gun at my h-house and set it on f-f-fire." She could still see the flames flicker through her tears and she smelled the smoke that had filled her house that day.

"Who aimed the gun, Sorano? Surely you remember that?" Yes, she remembered that, but she didn't want to say it to them. She didn't want to give them another reason to get back at Saryuu. But she knew that she was a terrible liar, so she decided to just spit it out."

"It was Saryuu," she whispered, barely audibly. The men around her started to whisper, and she closed her eyes to shut them out. She didn't want to hear all those accusations towards Saryuu, since she knew she wouldn't be able to retort them.

"I see." Toudou browsed through a file before he went on. "It says here that your mother was home that day, to take care of your sick brother, correct?"

"Yes," she muttered.

"Then you are actually saying that Saryuu killed your family before your eyes, right?"

"It wasn't on purpose!" she shouted desperately. In the way that Toudou was portraying the Second Stage Children, they looked like evil, cold-blooded murderers. "Saryuu had chosen the house carefully. He said that none of us was supposed to be there! It was an accident!"

"Accident?" Toudou questioned calmly. "But if they hadn't attacked your house in the first place, your family would still have been alive. If Saru hadn't craved so much power..."

"Yes... I guess you're right," Aoi replied lifelessly. It was the first time she looked in this way at the matter. She suddenly saw El Dorado's image of Saryuu. A young boy with unknown powers, who craves power and is willing to kill for it." _But that isn't Saryuu! It can't be!_ she shook her head vigorously, hoping to get things clear. _That isn't Saryuu, not... Not all of him._

Toudou obviously noticed her inner battle, but decided to dismiss it. "You went missing that day and I suppose they took you with them to Feida. But the truth is that you aren't one of them, Aoi." She didn't even notice that he shifted to using her first name, but it did make the words sound more caring.

"I... I am," she said weakly. Her head was spinning from all the distant memories and confusing feelings. She found it hard to tell who was her friend and who was her enemy. But there was one thing she knew for sure and that was that Saryuu loved her. That courage made her next words sound confident. "I am a member of Feida."

"Yes, you are. And in a way, you aren't. You are the only one without powers, the only 'normal' person so to speak."

"That doesn't matter, they are my friends."

"Are they? Or maybe you are merely a pet to them?"

"A... p-pet?"

"Yes, an inferior being. Someone that can't keep up with them, someone-"

"No!" Her voice snapped through the survey room and Toudou looked as if she had slapped him in the face. She glared at him, and said in a clear voice: "They are my friends. They never treated me differently from how they treated each other. That is because they accepted me as one of them a long time ago."

"That it hasn't happened so far doesn't mean that it won't happen in the future," Toudou tried. "I heard you are great in analysing, which is a skill they needed up until now. But what will happen to you when they don't need you anymore? You'll be tossed aside like a piece of trash."

"They won't do that," she replied confidently. Something in her voice made clear that her mind couldn't be changed about that, so Toudou gave up. Well, sort of gave up, because he already thought of something else.

"So you say that they are your friends, right? Then they must care for you and you must care for them like friends do. I'm sure you love them, in a friendly way, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Then, don't you think it's pitiful that they die so young?"

Aoi inhaled sharply. Yes, in exchange for their supernatural powers, the lifespans of Second Stage Children were short. Many didn't even reach the age of twenty. Noticing that he guessed right, Toudou pressed on. "Many Second Stage Children don't even reach the age of twenty. Maybe the current Second Stage Children are your friends, but who says that their successors will be?" Aoi didn't reply, she hadn't thought about that possibility. She had just assumed that Saryuu would always be there to protect her, but now it penetrated her that he wouldn't live as long as she would. He would die in a few years, while she would live on and on.

"Well, there's nothing I can do about that," she said bravely, though her lower lip trembled a bit.

"What if there was?"

"What?"

"You see, Aoi. Friends care for each other and sometimes, one friend decides something that a second friend doesn't like. But if that decision is better for the second friend, do you think it's a bad decision?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"Aoi, if you had the possibility to extend your friends' lifespans, but they would have to give up their powers for that... What would you choose?"

"That... Well... I-it doesn't matter what I answer, because there is no way I could ever accomplish something like that!" she defended herself.

Glances were exchanged before Toudou bent closer to her and said in a soft, serious voice: "Aoi, El Dorado's scientists have developed a vaccine that changes Second Stage Children back to normal humans."

She gasped. "You mean that..."

"Yes, they give up their powers, but they'll live longer in return. The problem is, they won't listen to us. We tried to propose it to them countless times, but they simply refuse it. That is why we need you."

"Me? You want me to force that on my friends? You want me to betray them?"

"Not at all." Toudou made a reassuring gesture while speaking. "You'll be doing them a favor, wouldn't you agree? They'll have normal lives again."

"B-but they d-don't want to give up their powers," she protested effortlessly.

"Aoi, it's very important that you think about their sake..."

"I-I am, I really-"

"... but you should also think about yourself."

"Myself?"

"You love Saru, don't you?" She nodded shyly, since she saw no point in denying the obvious. "Then, wouldn't you be much happier when the two of you can grow old together? He might be angry with you at first, but he'll come to his senses. And then you both will have a happy future." Her eyes widened at the thought. Her hands trembled and an incredible feeling of hope filled her entire body.

"What do you need me for?"

"We suspect that Saru is the main reason why all Second Stage Children refuse the vaccine. If we can eliminate him, meaning that we inject him with the vaccine, we believe that the others will take it too."

She tried to look at the situation objectively. If she injected Saryuu with the vaccine, he would probably be very angry with her. He would think she betrayed her and maybe he wouldn't want to be near her anymore. But when the anger and the grief over losing his powers died down... maybe he would love her again? And if he were to live a longer life, that would definitely make her really happy. And it was like Toudou said, she should think about herself too, right?

"What if I refuse?" she asked.

"El Dorado is there to protect, despite what you may have heard from Saru. We will always try our best to protect our subjects, and whether they want it or not, the Second Stage Children are our subjects too. If you refuse to convince Saru that this is the best way for everyone, we'll have to use other means."

"Like what?"

"We will force the vaccine on them," Toudou admitted without looking in her eyes. "It's our job to protect, and so we will. If it comes to it, we might even go as far as to put them asleep and inject them with the vaccine. We will do all we can to protect the Second Stage Children... from themselves."

He reached out his hand and Sakamaki placed something blue in it. When Aoi took a better look at it, she saw that it was a syringe with a blue substance in it._ That must be the vaccine that Toudou-san talked about earlier, _she thought.

"But it doesn't have to get that far," Toudou continued as he gently took her hand, placed the syringe in it and folded her fingers around it, "if you can inject Saru with this. I'm sure you see that it's the best for everyone if that happens. I know it is hard to suddenly go against him and I see you feel like you're betraying him, but look at it from another side. This way, you'll save thousands of normal humans from attacks, you'll make the lives of all Second Stage Children better... You'll be a hero."

Aoi was still pondering over her dilemma when a blue, holographic screen popped up. Her eyes shifted towards it without much interest, but that changed when she saw who was on the screen. "Turned out to be a boring result, don't you agree, Mister?" Saryuu asked with a knowing smile on his lips. Aoi unconsciously kept her hand with the syringe next to her body, out of Saryuu's view.

"Boring?" Toudou stated calmly. Now all eyes in the survey room shifted towards the score board, which showed a score of 2-2. Aoi quickly processed this. A draw in the final match meant that El Dorado and Feida were completely even. "Didn't you promise not to use your powers during the match? You went back on your word."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Don't play dumb."

"I only pushed the limits we agreed upon, just like you did, mister."

"What are you-"

"Don't think I can't see her right now, because I see her crystal clear. You have kept her with you against her will."

"You are talking nonsense," Toudou fumed, though Aoi knew he was lying. After all, she hadn't been allowed to leave when she wanted, so technically, she had been kept here against her will.

"Am I? Aoi, would you please tell me why you are with them?" She was startled when Saryuu suddenly directed his question at her. For a few moments, she didn't know what to answer. Should she tell Saryuu about the vaccine? About the proposal of El Dorado? Her hand clenched the syringe, but not so hard that the glass would break.

"I... I-I..." _What should I say? What should I say? _She adverted her eyes and hid the syringe further behind her back. "They only wanted to talk a little with me. I was here willingly."

"Is that so?" From his voice, it seemed that Saryuu believed her, even though there were so many holes in her story. "Well, neither of us can agree with a result like this, can we? Then how about we hold one more match?" Saryuu asked as he directed his attention back to El Dorado's chairman.

"What?"

"They are going to use their powers again," Sakamaki softly muttered.

"I know," Toudou replied in the same tone. His eyes shortly met Aoi's before he turned back to Saryuu. "Very well."

"Then it's decided. Aoi, please come back as soon as possible."

"H-hai," she replied when she finally realized he was talking to her again. Then the screen disappeared and Toudou turned towards her.

"We'll be counting on you," he simply said before he opened the door for her. After it closed behind her, Toudou fell back into his chair. He looked exhausted.

"Do you think she will cooperate?" Sakamaki asked.

"I believe I convinced her pretty well," Toudou replied with a tired smile and he sat up straighter. "It may not be the right thing to use her feelings of grief and love against her, but I did not see another option."

"I see," Sakamaki nodded. "Then all we can do is wait until that girl does the right thing."

"People are selfish creatures," one of the other men nodded in agreement. "Pointing out the advantage for the girl herself was a masterstroke, chairman Toudou. I don't think she will turn her back on us after that, especially when you so discretely pointed out that it was the best thing for the Second Stage Children as well."

Toudou didn't reply anymore. He stared intensely through the glass window, even though the match had already ended and all the players had left the field. Toudou, however, wasn't staring at the soccer field below. He was staring at the window of the opposite survey room. The room where Saru would be.

"Advance with the original plan," he ordered monotonously. "Those Second Stage Children need to be stopped, no matter what. We won't leave any opportunities for failure."

* * *

><p>Aoi hurried back to Feida's side, quickly hiding the syringe in her sleeve. She knew where Saryuu would be waiting for her, so she made her way to the survey room. She had barely entered or she was thrown off-balance. Two arms immediately wrapped around her waist and pressed her against a muscled body. Half of her vision got blocked by white locks and when she inhaled, she inhaled a familiar scent that equaled safety.<p>

"Saryuu," she murmured with her lips pressed against his shoulder. His hold didn't falter for even a millisecond.

"I'm so glad you're back," he whispered in her ear. "I was worried sick when I found out where you were."

"I'm sorry," she murmured. She threw her arms around his neck and they stayed like that for a while. She felt the syringe burn in her skin, like a cautery of guilt. Carefully, she moved her arm, so that the syringe fell into her palm. Saryuu was so close to her that she could fully move her arm around his neck. As a result of that, she was now staring at the neon blue substance in the syringe.

"I'm sorry."

The substance that would bring her so much happiness. The substance that would bring Saryuu temporary grief and anger, but long-term health and happiness. If she used it now, it wouldn't be a bad thing, right? Right? The syringe came close and closer to his neck, where she saw the constant pulse in his carotid. _It's just a little sting, it won't do him that much damage, right? _she tried to convince herself.

"I'm sorry."

"I love you," Saryuu whispered lovingly, clearly not aware of the syringe that was less than two inches away from his neck. "I love you so very much, Aoi."

* * *

><p><strong>Me: Pfew, another chapter done! Is it me or are these things getting longer? *checks word count* jupp, they're getting longer! This one is over 1.5 times longer than my other chapters^^ Oh well, I hope you liked it minna and please leave a review with what you thought.<strong>

**Also, updates (of all my stories) will be slower again because school starts soon and I have to work hard these final weeks!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Me: Since I left you with such a cliffhanger last time, I won't make this author note too long!^^ I hope you enjoy this and that it is what you expected. I don't make money with this story and neither do I own any of the characters.**

* * *

><p>"I love you so very much, Aoi."<p>

Those seven words seemed to open a hatch inside of Aoi. She saw all kinds of different images, heard all kinds of different sounds and felt all kinds of different feelings. It was overwhelming.

Dark purple irises, which held entire worlds that no one had ever seen before. They told thousands of stories, held millions of mysteries. She knew to whom these eyes belonged: Saryuu.

The soft feeling of his lips on hers when she first kissed him, completely entranced by his eyes.

Their short and few, but nonetheless genuine and intimate moments together, when he hugged her or stroke her cheek or kissed her or breathed in her hair or simply sat next to her or...

The suffocating fear when she was captured and realized what danger she had brought upon him.

The tiny pang of hope she had felt when she heard there was a way to enhance her friends' lives.

The guilt that followed when she found out what they had to give in exchange...

She couldn't betray them, could she? She couldn't betray Saryuu just like that! Toudou's voice replayed in her head, forcing her to reconsider her dilemma for the umpteenth time.

_"He might be angry with you at first, but he will come to his senses. And then you will both have a happy future."_

The same images flooded through her vision, but now her feelings were different. The hand that didn't hold the syringe tightened in a fist and her arm muscles trembled as she pressed herself even closer to Saryuu's body. She was afraid that if she let go for even a second, if she faltered her grip for only a moment, that he would be gone. She would lose him if she let him go now... B-but, she would lose him too if she did nothing... _Is there really no way?_ she thought desperately.

_"What... Are you... And I... Are we... You know..." "Just say what you feel, Aoi." "I love you."_

A piece of a conversation with Saryuu flashed through her mind. It had only been a short while since she said those words for the first time, and her feelings had grown significantly since then. She didn't think one could love someone more than she loved Saryuu right now. But...

"No." The word was softer than a whisper, softer than a breath. She didn't know if she really said it or if she just thought it.

_"You will both have a happy future."_

_"I love you, Aoi."_

_"It's very important that you think about their sake..."_

_"I missed you so much."_

_"But you should also think about yourself."_

_"I was worried sick when I found out where you were."_

Saryuu's and Toudou's voices followed each other inside her mind, faster and faster, until she couldn't distinguish the words anymore. She only heard the voices, which urged her to make a decision. What would she choose? What could she choose?

"No." A mere breathed word, too soft to be heard.

If she injected Saryuu with the serum, El Dorado would win Ragnarok. All Second Stage Children would give up their powers and live long lives in return. They would be normal, no longer outcasts, and they could live long, happy lives. Saryuu too. She wouldn't outlive him anymore. She would live just as long as he would. They could be together.

But would he still want that? Injecting him equaled betraying him. What if he never wanted to see her again? What if he would hate her? What if...

"No." A whisper.

_But he'll be happy..._ she thought. _He'll live a long and healthy life. He'll lose his powers and he'll grief about it, maybe even get angry, but he'll get over it. And if he hates me afterwards, I can live with that. Because it means that he will grow old. He will be healthy, normal... even if he hates me for it. And maybe he'll find another pretty girl after he turns away from me. They'll be happy together, and they'll grow old together. Maybe Saryuu will become a father, maybe even a grandfather... Saryuu will be fine. And if he's fine, I will survive too._

Was that really true? Saryuu never told her the details, but she knew that his father and mother abandoned him when he was little. They betrayed him, and his feelings of grief and hatred made him colder. If he hadn't found others like him, he would still be like that. If she betrayed him too, who knows what would happen to him?

"No, no." It was still not louder than a soft wail.

_What do I do?_

During all this time, her eyes never left the syringe in her hand. The blue vaccine was hidden, since she clenched her fist around it, but she knew that the syringe was still there. The decision was still there. The needle glimmered in the dim light, its tip only an inch away from Saryuu's neck. The distance alternately increased and decreased due to her trembling hand.

_What do I do?_

"Aoi?"

Saryuu suddenly pulled away from their tight embrace, obviously worried about her strange responses. Aoi's widened eyes saw the world in slow-motion as he came closer and closer to the needle. She didn't think anymore and let her instincts take over.

The sound of breaking glass was the only thing that could be heard in the quiet room, followed by Aoi's exhausted sigh. Her knees went weak and, as much as she tried not to, she couldn't help herself but slump in Saryuu's arms. If he hadn't been there, she would surely have fallen to the ground. She was exhausted from her seemingly endless dilemma, but whether she liked it or not, she had made a decision and she couldn't go back anymore.

The syringe laid on the ground behind Saryuu and the blue substance formed a small puddle around the broken glass. She had instinctively thrown it away when she saw that Saryuu neared the thing. There was no way to inject him with it anymore, even if she wanted to.

"Aoi, are you alright?" Saryuu's voice sounded more worried than she had ever heard, and it pulled her back to reality. She gasped when she realized what had almost happened to Saryuu; what she had almost done to him.

"No!" she shrieked as her hands traveled to his chest to push him away. She took him by surprise with this and he took indeed a few steps backwards, until she heard how the glass of the syringe further crackled under his shoe. His right foot was in the middle of the puddle of blue liquid, and he stared at it with a shocked, disbelieving expression on his face. At the same time, Aoi had taken hasty steps backwards, desperately trying to create as much distance between them as she could. _I almost betrayed him, I almost ruined his dreams, I almost-_

"Aoi?" he said, taking a step forward again.

"No, stay there!" she yelled, covering her temples and running with her fingers through her hair. _I almost injected him... How could I have been so blind? Why did I even listen to them? Why... _"J-just s-stay there, okay?" she continued in a softer tone of voice. "I-I betrayed you. I-I-I a-almost... I almost di-did..." she couldn't even let the words out and before she realized what happened, Saryuu had closed the distance between them again and pressed his lips on hers.

Aoi was shocked and tried to push him away, but he kept a strong hold of her shoulders and didn't let her get away. Tears streamed down her face as he kissed her passionately, yet she didn't respond to his actions. She just stood there, as still as a statue.

Saryuu let go of her lips after a while, but still kept his arms firmly around her shoulders to prevent her from getting away. Since she was still too ashamed of herself, she couldn't bring herself to look up in his beautiful purple eyes. "Why?" she asked silently as she stared at his chest. "Why don't you push me away? I don't understand..." Her voice cracked and fresh tears ran down her cheeks. The panic had died down a little, but the shame still lasted.

"I've said it before, haven't I?" Saryuu softly chuckled in her hair. "I love you."

She pushed his chest again, but not hard enough for either of them to take a step back. Saryuu's arms around her shoulders prevented her from going too far, anyway, but he allowed her enough space to lean back and look him in the eye. Her eyes were slightly red and puffy from crying, and her cheeks had different shades of red.

"I'm serious," she sniffed, new tears welling up in her eyes. He gently drew one hand back from her back to wipe them away. "What I-I did was... Unforgivable."

"It wasn't your fault," Saryuu whispered as he rubbed her back in a reassuring manner. "I should have known that El Dorado would try something. What did they do to you? If they did anything unwanted to you, I'll swear they'll be the first ones to die after we win Ragnarok." Venom steeped his voice as he spat out those last words.

Aoi shook her head and buried her face in his tunic. "They didn't do anything to me, they just... said things." The words sounded muffled, but Saryuu was apparently able to understand it all, because he asked:

"What kind of things?"

"F-first they talked about mom and Yukou... They asked me questions about that day and forced me to acknowledge who-who did it... They wanted me to c-call out the na-na-names..." Saryuu's grip around her tightened, helping a little to stop her arms from trembling. Aoi sniffed his scent - the scent that made her feel so safe - before she continued. "After that, they tried to make me doubt my friendships and relationship with you and the others in Feida. And when I made clear that I still believed you were all my friends, they... they gave me that."

She pointed at the broken syringe and the blue puddle, which had partly dried up. She felt how Saryuu's arms left her as he walked towards it and knelt down. He extended his hand to touch the fluid, but decided otherwise at the last second. "What is it exactly?" he asked while looking up to her.

"A vaccine that will make your powers disappear and... it will make your lifespans longer." The last part was a tad softer than the rest.

"That damn chairman," Saryuu softly growled. "I take it he used that against you? He used your feelings for me, didn't he?" Aoi nodded while biting her lower lip, ashamed that she had actually fallen for such a deception now that Saryuu realized it so quickly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, afraid that her voice would crack again if she spoke louder.

"Don't let him fool you, Aoi," Saryuu said in a calm tone as he stood up straight. "Toudou Heikichi is an old man, but he's as sly as a fox. He won't hesitate to use anything against you, so please be carefull next time, okay?" She nodded and Saryuu flashed her a smile. "And don't worry about those lifespans of ours, Aoi. After all, we have you with us, right? I'm sure you can figure out a way for us to overcome it."

That last part was obviously meant to cheer her up, but Aoi couldn't help but feel a bit anxious about it. She had thought about that problem a couple of times, but she wasn't sure at all if she could figure out something to counter the Second Stage Children's early deaths. What if she couldn't find a solution? Or worse, what if she found one after Saryuu had passed away? If she wanted Saryuu to live long, she only had a few more years to examine, develop and test a serum that would be safe to use. _Can I even do that?_

"I think it's better if you go to your room and rest a little," Saryuu smiled. Aoi nodded and walked to the door, but she turned back to him once she reached it.

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'll go to our main room," he said casually. "I have a feeling I'll meet someone there to whom I have to talk a little." His vague way of talking was intentional, Aoi knew that, but she was too tired to scold him about it. She opened the door and hurried to her room. She was tired, but not sleepy, so she decided to just lay down on her bed and stare a little. The whole scene with Toudou replayed on her closed eyelids. She felt like there was something she had forgotten, something important. She hadn't told Saryuu due to all the panic and embarrassment that had clouded her brain a few minutes ago, but she had the feeling that it was important for him to know.

_"If you refuse to convince Saru that this is the best way for everyone, we'll have to use other means." _Toudou's voice rang through her mind. _"We will force the vaccine on them. It's our job to protect, and so we will. If it comes to it, we might even go as far as to put them to sleep and inject them with the vaccine."_

Suddenly, she knew what it was that she had to tell Saryuu.

* * *

><p><strong>Me: I need to get better at estimating a chapter's length. I'm about halfway the chapter I had in mind, but it got too long, so I decided to stop here.<strong>

**I hope you liked what you read and don't hesitate to tell me in the reviews, okay? Hehe, Aoi's confusion in the beginning of the chapter was very fun and interesting to write, but I don't know if it's easy to follow. If I get a lot of reviews saying that it isn't, I'll do my best to rewrite it.**

**Have a nice day!^^**


	17. Chapter 17

**Me: Holy cow, it's over two months ago that I updated! The reason for that, I guess, is that I had typed about two-third of this chapter and then accidentally deleted it some time ago and I discovered a few weeks later (long story). And I became kinda depressed about that? Idk, I just didn't feel like writing on this anymore, but now I got over it and here you go! Brand new chapter!**

**Please enjoy the following disclaimer and chapter. I don't own Inazuma Eleven GO Chrono Stone.**

* * *

><p>Once again, Aoi leisurely walked down the corridors in Feida's part of the stadium. She took it easy this time, because she didn't want to interrupt Saryuu's conversation with whoever he was talking to. He had been very vague about it when she bid goodbye to him and Aoi had been too tired to ask further. Saryuu had said that he would be in the main room, so that's where she was headed.<p>

The door was slightly opened and the yellow light that fell into the dim corridor formed a thin rectangle on the ground. She heard Saryuu talking as she neared the door and stopped in her tracks. Leaning against the wall, she waited for the right moment to make her presence known. She heard what was said inside the room and felt bad for a second that she was eavesdropping, but then she shrugged. She was part of Feida too, right? It wasn't like she was a spy who would run to El Dorado with every word she heard. She shuddered: to El Dorado was the last thing she wanted to go.

"Oh really?" came Saryuu's amused voice from out of the room and it was followed by a chuckle. If she closed her eyes, she could see every detail of his facial expression.

"I'll be going then. I want to fight on Tenma's side." Wait, that voice was also familiar. Was that... Fei? Was he another spy inside Feida, just like his father? Aoi shook her head to clear the thought away. She saw with her own eyes that he had used his powers in the match and he had used them on her before, on that day when it all began... To think that Fei was a spy was very strange, but then why did he say he wanted to fight 'on Tenma's side'? Matsukaze Tenma was an ally of El Dorado, so...

Meanwhile, the conversation inside the room went on. "Even if they have you and Endou Mamoru on their side, they will never win." A small thud. "You know the reason why."

"We meet again on the field."

The door was pushed open and Fei walked outside. After he closed it again, he leaned against it with his back and sighed deeply. Then he opened his eyes and as his gaze fell on her, his whole body stiffened. "Sorano-san."

"Fei."

They just stared at each other until Fei broke the eye contact by closing his eyes. Without another word, he walked past her and Aoi let her eyes slide over the now closed door to the main room for a second. Then she softly bit her lip and turned around. She half-walked, half-ran until she was next to him and they both walked without saying a word. She felt that Fei repeatedly glanced at her, but she didn't look back.

After they had walked through three other hallways - and passed all other destinations Aoi possibly could have had - Fei suddenly stopped and turned towards her. "You really don't need to check on me, Sorano-san, I won't stick around to spy. Saru knows that." His last words sounded a little scornful, but Aoi ignored that.

"I'm not checking on you," she simply shrugged.

"Then why are you following me?"

She took her time to think about the answer. Why was she following him? Fei probably grew impatient after some time, because he turned and walked away. Aoi stood still and listened to the sound of his footsteps. "I think it's because we are the same." His footsteps stopped and he turned around, looking confused an a little suspicious.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, isn't it obvious?" she said as she caught up with him. "We are on different sides now, we fight for different goals and we have different reasons, but we are the same. We are both different from the others."

"What do you mean?" Fei repeated.

"You are a Second Stage Child who fights on the side of the normal human's, while I am a normal human who fights on the side of the Second Stage Children. No matter how you look at it, we cannot blend in for 100%"

"Tenma and the others don't mind that," Fei said while shaking his head. "I am one of them, a member of Chrono Storm."

Aoi smiled gently and placed her hand on his arm to show that she didn't mean anything bad. "I didn't say that it was a bad thing, did I?" she smiled while she tried to hide the fact that she had no idea what 'Chrono Storm' was. "It's just that I like you, Fei, so I decided to talk a little with you."

"EEEEEEEH?!" When she looked at his face, she saw that it was dark red and that his eyes and mouth were wide open. She wondered what was wrong with him all of a sudden, but her question got quickly answered when he locked his light-blue eyes with hers. "S-So-Sorano-san... I... I'm sorry, but I can't return your feelings... I had no idea, but... I thought that you... and Saru... Y-you know..."

As she realized what was going on, Aoi's face got bright red too. She frantically waved her hands in front of her face and shook her head wildly, momentarily unable to speak Japanese. "It's not that!" she yelled in embarrassment. "I love Saryuu and he is the only one for me. What I meant is that I like you as a friend! Geez."

Her cheeks were bright red and she didn't dare to look at him as she battled her embarrassment. "Well, that was weird," Fei commented after a minute of silence and Aoi laughed along with him, silently agreeing to forget about the whole misunderstanding. The silence that surrounded them from then on wasn't as heavy and awkward anymore, causing both teens to relax a little.

"Are you really sure about this?" Aoi asked once they reached the hallway in which Fei's old room, from the time he was still on El Dorado's side, was located. It surprised her how calm she was over the fact that she and Fei would be enemies from now on.

Fei gulped, but then said his next words with confidence. "I am." Both came to a halt in front of the door, but he didn't open it yet. Instead he stared intensely at it, as if he tried to look through he metal.

"If Feida wins tomorrow's match, do you want me to talk to Saryuu for you? So that you can come back?" Fei already shook his head before she had finished her question.

"It wouldn't be of any use, I can't go back to Feida anymore. And I don't want to, either."

"I, eh... I need to go back," Aoi said after a few seconds while vaguely pointing in the direction where they came from. "I hope that you'll become happy, regardless of what happens tomorrow."

"You too."

She was already halfway the corridor when she heard the swift sound of the opening door, followed by a bunch of innocent explosions and a chorus of voices that yelled: "Okaerinasai, Fei!" She looked back to see Fei entering the room with a gentle smile on his face and she allowed herself a small smile as well. _Fei,_ she thought with the intention of sending the thoughts to him, _I really hope you will become happy this way._

Then she hurried back to Feida's side, once again looking for Saryuu because she still hadn't told them about what El Dorado was possibly planning.

* * *

><p>Saryuu wasn't in the main room anymore, but Yokka and Yuuchi told her that they had seen him walk outside. After she thanked them politely, Aoi followed their directions until she reached the park in which Feida's members had built the Ragnarok Stadium. She found Saryuu standing near the fountain, pale light from the streetlights illuminating his rigid body as he looked at the tops of the trees around him.<p>

"Saryuu!" she called and he turned to her with a loving smile on his lips.

"What are you doing here?" he inquired once she stood opposite him. "I thought you were sleeping in your room?"

Aoi shook her head. "I remembered something the chairman said. I think it's important."

"Then what-" he stopped abruptly in the middle of his sentence and his relaxed face transformed into a scowl in less than a second. He spun around faster than Aoi's eyes could follow: one moment he was facing her and the next moment she looked at his back. Saryuu reached backwards for her hand and once he got it, he pulled her slightly behind him, as if he protected her. Once she peeked over his shoulder, she saw why he acted like this: Asurei Lune stood a short distance away. He wasn't in disguise anymore, but it seemed like Saryuu recognised him right away.

"I thought it was strange, but I didn't expect this," Saryuu said once he had observed the whole situation.

"I apologize for hiding my identity," the green-haired adult started. "But the reason I did all this was to seek a way for us and the Second Stage Children to coexist peacefully in this society. If such a way is possible, then I would be able to take back the son whom I had once abandoned. It's my selfish desire as a parent, being unable to give up my son after having left him..." Aoi frowned at this new information. To think that there was so much about Fei that she hadn't known... Asurei's voice pulled her back from her thoughts. "When your Feida declared war on El Dorado, that door was closed on me. Still, I believe that there is a way for you to live together with normal human beings." Asurei pointed at Aoi, causing her to flinch behind Saryuu's back. "After all, you can get along with Aoi and she's-"

"You sure like to use her in your plans, don't you, Asurei Lune?" Saryuu interrupted him in a bored tone. "First you want to use her as a bargaining chip, then as a pawn to do your dirty work and now you're trying to use her as an argument? I guess I shouldn't be surprised anymore that all of you are so unoriginal and predictable." He pulled her hand, so that she stood next to him instead of behind him. He put his hand around her waist as he continued: "It's true that Aoi is no Second Stage Child, but she is special. She can keep up with us, our thoughts and our dreams. She is a full-fledged member of Feida, and I would appreciate it very much if you do not use her any more than you already did." The last sentence held an obvious threat, though both his voice and his facial expression changed after that.

"But-"

"What is it you are trying to say?"

Asurei closed his mouth and calmed himself down to bring his next statement as convincing as possible. "I want you to cancel tomorrow's match." The glare on Saryuu's face said enough, but Asurei still continued. "What is the point in showing that one power is better than the other? There is still time. Come to think of a way with me to coexist with one another." The adult extended his hand and waited for Saryuu to take it. Aoi looked up at Saryuu's face and his expression already told her his answer before his words did.

Saryuu laughed. A mocking laugh, not a cheerful one. "There is a point," he stated. "I'm going to make clear who ought to rule the world. It's for that purpose I've come all this way for. In tomorrow's final match, the world will learn of the Second Stage Children's real powers."

"Can I not change your mind?" Asurei asked while lowering his hand. Saryuu merely scoffed in reply. "That's a shame." After that, the greenette turned around and walked away.

As soon as he was out of sight, Saryuu warmed up and smiled gently at Aoi. She briefly wondered how this boy could be so two-faced. "What was it you wanted to talk about, Aoi?"

"Eh? A-ano, when I was at El Dorado's today, they told me..." She closed her eyes and tried to remember Toudou's exact words. "They said that, if they lose tomorrow's match, they will use sleeping gas and inject you with that vaccine when you are unconscious."

"That damned old man," Saryuu growled through his teeth, but when he caught sight again of Aoi's face, he relaxed. He even let out a laugh - a real, merry laugh - and shook his head. "Only this time, that sly old fox made a mistake. Thank you, Aoi. I don't want to know what would happen after we crush El Dorado, if you hadn't warned us in time."

"Aha, it's fine," she said and looked down until Saryuu cupped her cheek and gently forced her to look up again. She stared into his half-lidden, imperial purple eyes that grew as his face neared hers. She already started to lean in when she remembered something, and pushed him away again, earning a look of great surprise from the white-haired boy.

"Aoi?"

"You won't use your powers tomorrow, will you? I mean, not like what happened in today's match with Garu."

The smile faltered a little. "Those old men need to know that we are the strongest. We need to show them the real powers of the Second Stage Children."

"I know that, but... Please, I want you to do it fair and square, okay? You said you wanted to fight by using soccer, after all."

"But still-"

"Please, Saryuu? Do it for me then," she said and then her face twisted in such a cute pout that Saryuu had no other choice but agreeing to her plan.

"Alright then," he sighed.

"Promise?"

"I promise." He found it tiresome to discuss such a trivial topic, but when he saw the bright smile she beamed at him, he was happy he listened to her.

She quickly closed the distance between them and pecked him on the lips. When she pulled away, Saryuu held her shoulders to keep her in place and continued to land short kisses on her lips. A while after they both lost count of how many times they kissed each other, they both opened their mouths at the same time and their tongues started dancing around each other. When they finally broke it off, Aoi hugged her boyfriend tightly, muttering an 'arigatou' as she buried her face in his shoulder. She hoped this wonderful moment would never end, though unfortunately it ended as soon as she opened her eyes and looked over his shoulder. Her eyes widened, she gasped and she jerked back at the sight of her roommate and her beige-haired boyfriend. Aoi blushed deeply when she realized that these two had probably seen the entire scene from before, but Meia and Giris seemed far too serious to tease her right now.

"Meia, Giris, what do you want?" Saryuu sighed tiredly before he even turned around. He seemed not very pleased either that his special moment was ruined by the two lovers.

"Saru, give us one more chance," Meia started with her hands clasped together as if she was praying.

"I can't stand it at this rate," Giris grumbled, his arms folded and his hands clasping the fabric of Giru's uniform. "Those guys need to realize the power that Meia and I have."

Aoi had never seen these two people so serious, so determined about something. Saryuu studied the couple for a few seconds with squinted eyes before he smirked to himself. "Alright then, you're in. However, tell your former teammates and the other teammates to gather in the main room, an hour before the match. There is a little..." he glanced at Aoi, "obstacle we need to overcome before we can play the final match."

* * *

><p><strong>It's been so long that I wonder if anyone still reads this! However, if you do then please let me know by leaving a review, okay? ^^ Thank you~!<strong>


End file.
